Speed of Light!!!!!?

Question

Can I travel to the speed of light???

Answer 1

No

Answer 2

Human body is made of matter which has mass.

1 kg of mass is equivalent to an energy of 9 x 10^16 J.

If this mass is converted completely into electro-magnetic radiation then it can travel with the speed of light.

With out converting this mass into energy of electromagnetic radiation, it requires infinite ( so as to say impossible) energy even for a minute particle like electron to have a speed of light.

Answer 3

I think the real answer to this question is 'currently, we don't know'.

If the current theories of physics persist, then the answer is no, as the closer you get to the speed of light, the closer your mass gets to infinite. This alone would pretty much inhibit such a possibility since infinite mass would be a bit of a problem would it.

However, if any new information comes to light that would somehow negate the theory (or find a way around it ) would obviously make this question moot. In short, many things thought impossible not all that long ago are now possible (it was not that long ago that the human body could not survive being propelled faster than 20MPH, we now have bycycles that can break that barriier!)

Things are only impossible until they are not.....


Now in fairness the rest of the answers posted here...Not today you can't. ;-)

Answer 4

No. No object with a non-zero rest mass can travel at the speed of light.

Answer 5

no. that's not a limit in technology, that's a law. it would take more energy than all the energy there ever was in the universe.
nothing with any rest mass can go at the speed of light. of course light itself, which has no rest mass, travels at the speed of light.

how *close* you can come does depend on technology.

Answer 6

As others have pointed out, one cannot achieve the speed of light as your mass would increase without limit, thus requiring infinite energy to continue to accelerate.

However (don't you just love 'however'?), the key to your question lies in who's space-time frame.

It is possible for areas of space and time to actually be moving relative to another. Should you travel to an area such as that, you could, in theory, accelerate to close to the speed of light (locally) and be moving faster than light to an observer in another area of space. Of course you could not communicate nor see each other. The key is that in your own local area, you cannot achieve light speed. You need to be able to get to an area in which space itself is moving relative to the other observer.

Don't laugh; such conditions may be possible with rotating black holes. They can twist time and space. Also, some areas of the universe can be moving relative to others (I'm talking about space itself, not galaxies). Large masses distort time and space.

In any case, it is believed that time travel may, in theory, be possible near a rotating black hole due to the warping of time and space where different times actually touch each other - but it is not a subject that I am well informed on. I believe Stephen Hawkings web site may shed a bit of light on that. Whether that could ever be put to use, however, is another question in itself. I cannot imagine desiring to go anywhere near a black hole, let alone daring to enter a rotating black hole LOL.

I've included a URL


Best regards,
Jim

Answer 7

No, Einstein theory of relativity says your mass, m is a function of your speed:
m(v) = m(0) / sqrt ( 1 - v^2/c^2)
m(0) is your stationary mass.
So if you travel at the speed of light, you will have infinite mass, and would infinite energy to move you.

Answer 8

You can't accelerate to the speed of light, but if you're traveling at (or greater than) the speed of light already, you can travel at the speed of light. I think the secret would be to accelerate to 1/10th the speed of light, coast around at that speed for a while (thereby establishing a new zero reference point) and then accelerate again, over and over, until you're traveling at the speed of light.

Answer 9

Not unless you turn into light. As a body with mass, your mass approachs infinite mass as your speed approaches the speed of light.

Answer 10

No human technology can go the speed of light except...light and the Gs wud b pulling u backwards so i dont think so

Answer 11

Yes. You have to choose a referencee frame. As your speed with respect to that reference frame increses, An observer at rest with respect to that reference frame would see your mass increase, but you would not see such an increase.