Is it possible 2 travel faster than light?

Question

I know that's it's impossible now but will it b possible in the future?

Answer 1

Everybody will tell you "No!", but I say "Who knows?"

People are always so convinced that what they say is absolutely correct, as in the case with the idea that faster-than-light travel is impossible.

But really, do those people know what is going to happen? Do they know that no new physics will be discovered?

I think not.

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, the U.S. Commissioner of Patents, said: "Everything that can be invented has been invented."

He was wrong.

Answer 2

Good grief. No people (esp Adrian) - it is NOT possible to travel faster than light. Ever. Under any circumstances whatsoever.

The amount of energy that moving something at that velocity would require would be infinite (as E=MC 2 tells us) - and the universe does not contain infinite energy. Anyone who tries to suggest something else is an idiot, knows nothing about the subject and should be ignored.

BUT, somebody very clever may point out that it MAY be possible that certain particles are already moving at speeds faster than light, but this is hypothetical and not yet proven. What we do know is that nothing can accelerate up past speed velocity.

UPDATE: No, it is unlikely to be possible in the future either. It is a law of the universe that nothing can travel FLT, and that won't change. But it may be that we eventually discover ways round this, like worm holes etc which would allow us to reach distant places in less time than it would take light to get there. But that would not mean that we were physically travelling at anywhere near light speeds.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Actually, the way that question is worded, there is NO way to travel faster than light. There is nothing faster that light that humans know of right now.

First, a clarification: the speed of light in vacuum has always been observed to be constant (c) --- this is not Einstein's invention, but rather the fact on which he based his theories of relativity.
On the other hand, physicists have always known that the speeds of light in gas, liquid, and solids (air, water, glass etc.) depend on the material composition. This is the domain of optics; the consensus of those who know these recent experiments think that they are exciting new developments in optics, which however does not contradict relativity. I.e., faster than light travel still firmly belongs in science fiction, unfortunately.

If you have a Java-enabled browser, check out:

http://www.netspace.net.au/~gregegan/APPLETS/20/20.html

This applet lets you wee how a feature apparently moving faster than c can created from a superposition of waves of different frequencies, all traveling at or below c; and it also let you see for yourself that this cannot be used to send a signal faster than c.

Answer 5

If Einstein is right about the nature of space and time (and many experiments suggest that he is), then the answer is "no," you simply can't cover a distance "x" in a time shorter than "x/c" (that is: you can't go faster than speed "c"). If we were able to do so, it would imply all sorts of weird contradictions, such as being able to receive a reply to a message before you actually sent the message(!)

On the other hand, this restriction only applies to journeys "through" space. By manipulating space itself, it is theoretically possible for objects to approach or recede from each other at speeds exceeding "c". If you think of space as being an elastic rubber sheet, Einstein says that you can't "walk along" the sheet at a speed exceeding "c"; however, there's no theoretical limit to the speed at which the sheet itself can be stretched or otherwise deformed. As an example, there are some 1000 known galaxies whose redshifts imply that they are receding from us at greater than the speed of light [see the Scientific American article referenced below]; this is possible because of the superluminal rate at which the "sheet" (the universe) is expanding.

What this means is that, in theory, it might be possible to move from point "A" to point "B" in less time than x/c by manipulating the shape of space itself. See the excellent Wikipedia article, "Faster than Light" (referenced below) for an overview of this idea, and some of the practical problems with it.

Answer 6

Think 2 reasons why not possible::

1. The human body can withstand only 10-15 G forces, at the maximum. Anything faster, he will just black out and won't function during a journey.

2. Not possible for any propellant to drive a rocket at the speed of light.Infact solid materials like the human body and rocket cannot travel at the speed of light, an intangible medium

Answer 7

As far as we know, it's impossible. Remember the equation E=1/2mv^2? Well to double the velocity, you have to put in four times the energy. And since mass increases as velocity increases, you need even more. So it'll take infinite energy to reach the speed of light, let alone pass it.
The only thing we think could ever have traveled faster than light was the universe at the time of the big bang, according to the inflation theory. But that's the universe; it's always been of infinite energy.

Answer 8

Yes humans may only be able to withstand a certain level of force but G-force is produced by acceleration not speed. Relativity in fact tells us that in any frame of constant motion, physics applies the same as it would to another frame of constant motion. A definitive answer to this question is very arguable but not certain. I personally do feel that it is possible but not in the grasps of humans comprehension as of now. As many physicist believe, such as Steven Hawking, the faster one travels through space, the slower they travel through time, therefore creating the link between space and time. Obtaining the speed of light is theorized to stop time and faster speeds may even reverse in time. Do not take all of this for fact. It is still theoretical although tests are proving that traveling in a jet may slow down time about 1 billionth of a second for an 8 hour flight.


Secondly to RickB: Einstein was a very intelligent man, as well as Issac Newton, but we now know his laws are not entirely true. It is always important to keep an open mind because everything changes with greater understanding. Einstein himself never could fully finish his theories without using an unproven "Cosmological Constant".

For further reading a suggest "The Universe in a Nutshell" or "A Brief History of Time"

Answer 9

Donna M you need to keep up...just this past Fall a University in the US, I forget which one, caused electricity to show up at the end of a circuit before it was sent. They did it by sending the electricity thru a liquid that actually slows down the transmission of light to a speed alot slower than thru a vacuum. YES it IS possible to travel faster than light, you just have to level the playing field!

Answer 10

Have you not watched Star Treck?

Seriously though, travelling faster than light is only considered impossible by our current understanding of physics and technological development. Humanity is in no way whatsover at the pinnicle of understanding of the universe and physics and technology and that which we do know/believe may in some cases ultimately be incorrect.

You never know what might be developed or discovered at some point in the far and distant future that might enable travelling faster than light, something that is not even a remote possibility for humanity at present.

It was once believed impossible to travel faster than sound and before that, that humans would suffocate travelling at speeds faster than 30 mph. So who knows... you simply don't know what is going to happen in the future. Would you have known 3000 years ago that space craft, televisions, mobile telephones, nuclear power stations and hair straighteners were going to be invented? I'd say no and the same applies to technologies that may apear in another 3000, 6000, 12000 years.