…to explore the universe, or nothing can endure traveling at the speed of light?
2007-07-20 11:04:42 · 14 answers · asked by Mutual Help 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
This is a hard one to answer. Ok, look at the equation Einstein came up with to describe an object's energy in relation to its mass. E=mc^2. "E" is energy, "m" is mass and "c^2" is the speed of light squared. The closer an object's speed gets to the speed of light, the more mass it takes on. When an object is almost at the speed of light, it would require infinite energy to move what is now an infinite mass. So, travelling at the speed of light won't be our best bet, if we do find a way to do it, it will be very difficult to match the costs of infinite mass and energy. Wormholes, natural or man- made, are more along the lines of hopeful deep-space exploration ideas. Then again, there's always the real slow route, but you better bring your iPod, it's gonna be a very long trip.
2007-07-20 11:13:33 · answer #1 · answered by White Rabbit 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You've probably heard about time and space warping/bending around a massive object, yeah? If you draw a line A through a plane warped by a mass, Line A when viewed from the side, looks like a basin. Like a very wide U.
Okay, wormholes. Wormholes are actually being taken seriously by physicists so I think it's a worthwhile thing to read about. Now draw a straight Line B across the depression. It's bound to look a lot shorter than Line A, but it's out of the plane.
Suppose we let two spacecrafts travel along Lines A and B. Also, Spaceship B (traveling at Line B) travels at constant velocity equal to Spaceship A's before they hit the junction where the Lina A's basin begins. They have and will maintain such a velocity throughout the duration of the passage. You will see that because Line A is much longer than Line B, Spaceship A will arrive at the end of the basin way after Spaceship B.
Line B is what we now know as a wormhole, a tesseract by Madeleine L'Engle's definition.
Remember that though speed and velocity are basically distance/time, velocity makes use of the final change in position (the whole length of Line A) rather than the length of the path took (Spaceship B's Line B vs. Spaceship A's Line A). So, while they have the same velocities, they have very different speeds.
In Spaceship A's frame of reference, Spaceship B appears to be going faster. Now if we take it that they were traveling at, say 0.9c, in Spaceship A's frame reference, Spaceship B could easily have gone over the speed limit!
So, if you're thinking wormholes, then yes, we can probably send something beyond the "speed" of light.
2007-07-20 16:12:05 · answer #2 · answered by Revue 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many things are already moving at the speed of light. Think relativity.
If you are standing somewhere and turn on a light aimed at some other point the beam is moving at the speed of light. Now, have some one walk toward the direction you are shining the beam. To them the light is traveling at the speed of light minus the speed they are traveling in the same direction. Relative speed. Some one walking towards you from the direction the light is traveling would say the light is traveling beyond the speed of light (relatively). So, depending on which direction and how fast, the speed of light varies. If it varies at all it can be varied enough to make it appear VERY S-L-O-W. If the light is traveling slowly, then the observing object must be near the speed of light and with minimal acceleration could catch/surpass that speed.
2007-07-20 17:21:31 · answer #3 · answered by onparadisebeach 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing can go faster than light. If you yourself are going 90% the speed of light and you fire a bullet from a gun so it goes on ahead of you at 90% the speed of light, you might thing that the bullet would be going 180% the speed of light. But it wouldn't. It would be going only 99% the speed of light. Time and space change to make all speeds be slower than light. We think time and space a re absolute and cannot change, but we are wrong. It is only the speed of light that never changes. We just don't notice that because we do not have powerful enough engines to even go 1/100 that fast, so it these limitations do not even matter for us yet. But particle accelerators can send subatomic particles to such speeds, and when we do that, these strange rules are confirmed by measurement.
2007-07-20 13:01:43 · answer #4 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to Einstein, no. His calculations say that the closer soemthing gets to the speed of light the more mass it has and when it reaches the speed of light it will have infinite mass thus making travel at the speed of light mathmatically impossible according to Einstein.
Others take a more Newtonian appraoch and say that if enough force is applied to an object then it will eventually reach the speed of light. Simple linear math.
Who do you want to believe? And some wonder why we still beleive in God.
2007-07-20 11:19:06 · answer #5 · answered by Spiral Wizard 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it is correct to assume such theories - though be 'open to others' is something else entirly.
You can take yer equations and melt this pot with the next and cook up excuses for every situation on the planet - you aint going to see what is vividly possible because so many re-straints on this, that, the other and the possibilities are endless - though again, these are held back by other forces!
No one, should jump the gun - no one, must see things it just ain't right.
Many theories on how to have sex, how to share love, have issues up to the hilt and we all do nothing but bore each other into a competition of who gets who and who has had who.
The main factor is that things are possible - speed is possible - though, can we endure it - sure we can - it just takes a different mind set in order for it to come to the fro.
2007-07-20 13:01:35 · answer #6 · answered by upyerjumper 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Right now only light can travel at that speed.
The theory of singularity (also black hole theory) is that as a particle gets closer to the speed of light it's mass increases and time slows down and the closer it gets the greater both effects are.
2007-07-20 11:13:43 · answer #7 · answered by Zaferus 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing MANMADE other than possibly a Proton, Electron, or a Neutron can be accelerated to the speed of light by man made propulsion techniques..
2007-07-20 12:33:18 · answer #8 · answered by zahbudar 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Light and radio can go at lighstpped and never stop, but they eventually become so weak you can't read them. No object can move at lightspeed. IT isn't possible. No matter how much force you apply, it just won't reach it.
Hypothetical particles called tachyons can go faster than light, but probably do not exist. THey would have imaginary mass.
2007-07-20 15:49:55 · answer #9 · answered by Bob B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is my understanding that nothing can. According to einsteins theory of relativity, as you reach the speed of light, then time slows down.
2007-07-20 11:13:58 · answer #10 · answered by Jessie 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋