Why do scientist say that we cant go faster then the speed of light?

Question

I know that we actually cant come any were near the speed of light right now or any time soon.

But Light is measured as traveling 186,282.397 miles per second,

Now I'm no scientist, but I know that that is Bitchingly fast...

But I can't help but thing, If light can be measured like that, dosent that fundamentally mean that there is some way to go faster then that.

If light can go from earth to the moon in 1.2 seconds, how can we say that can't be broken, couldent there be something out there that can go from the earth to the moon in 1.1 seconds.

Now Im not talking about aliens or star trek or anything, but if civilization lasts long enough, and we actually start to get smarter (Unlikely as that would be) and our technology continues to grow, couldn't the human race, or some race in the stars if there is one, somehow find a way to travel faster then light speed.

Now I'm not gonna pretend to know dittily about science or physics.

But my common sense is telling me that if something has a defined speed, there has to be someway to go faster then it as long as that speed has a constant measurement.

Answer 1

Umm...some the other answers are a bit off...wow...
The limit has to do with mathematics. If we have a value gamma equal to (1 - (u^2)/(c^2))^(-1/2), where c=speed of light and u=speed of object, we notice that for any values of u greater than c, we end up with an imaginary number under the square root. This is a problem since this gamma appears frequently in relativistic equations.
Also, for the equation for momentum:
*momentum: p= (gamma)(m)(u)
"An important consequence of the factor (gamma) in the momentum equation is that no object can be accelerated past the speed of light: We will find that in relativity, just as in classical mechanics, a constant force on a body increases its momentum p at a constant rate; if the force acts for long enough, we can make p as large as we please. ...In relativity, an increase in p= (gamma)(m)(u) is reflected by increases in u and gamma. Now as u approaches c we know that gamma increases without limit. Thus, as u approaches c the constant force keeps increasing gamma without u ever reaching c" (50-51 Taylor, Zafiratos, and Dubson).
Or in simpler terms, as u approaches c:
*momentum approaches infinity
and:
*energy required approaches infinity (since E=(gamma)(m)(c^2) for a moving object)

However, that is not to say that there isn't something that is already travelling faster than the speed of light (ex: hypothetical tachyon particles which travel faster than light locally, but their existence has not been confirmed). This just says that you can't accelerate an object travelling less than c, to a velocity greater than c. We just haven't detected anything faster than c as of this point in time.

Answer 2

My thought is that when the universe was created by the Big Bang the Universe began expanding outward (at the speed of light). If we were able to catch up with this expanditure (14 billion light years from the center), and tried to moved beyond that expanding, the "nothingness" would dissolve us in a way that we were not killed, but never were. It's an area that hasn't been created yet, and thus the universe MUST have a failsafe for such things. Like going backin time and meeting yourself. I don't think the Universe would allow that paradox. As for the person awnsering. He said that in 50 years Einstein will be proven wrong. I seriously doubt that will ever happen. Whenever I hear news about Einstein, it's always relaying that computers are proving his equations (on a chalkboard no less!) correct 100 years later!

Answer 3

Ok, let's try.

1. Considering the amount of force required, the human body couldn't handle it.

2. Scientifically, according to Einstein, E=mc^2.

That is energy = mass X speed of light^2

What that means is that the faster we go, the more we become. (the "more" being the bigger we get in terms of mass).

Here's what a scientist by the name of R. C. Winther says.

"when Einstein developed the special theory of relativity, he found it predicted that mass increases with speed. When this is applied to a calculation for the kinetic energy KE of a moving object traveling with speed v, one obtains the result KE = (m - m0)*c^2 where m is the (increased) mass of the object when its speed is v, and m0 is the mass of the object when it is at rest. Thus, an increase in kinetic energy is accompanied by an increase in mass. Furthermore, this
suggests that, even when the object is not moving, there is a "rest-mass" energy m0*c^2 associated with it.Then the total energy (kinetic + rest-mass energy) is given by =mc^2 ."

I said the same thing, he just used fancy words and the Kinetic Energy formula.

However, we will never be able to obtain speeds anywhere close to "c". As I stated before, the human body is too fragile to be able to withstand the sudden stop. It would be equivalent to someone falling off a cliff that was 100,000 miles high. ( Or whatever the exact distance to the moon is, 109,000 miles.)

Answer 4

The basic reason is that if one measures the speed of light while traveling toward beam of light or away from it , he gets the same tremendous speed of 3 x 10^8 m/s.

If we move toward the sun with great speed and measure the speed of light we get that value. While returning to earth, i.e. away from the sun, in the direction of light rays and measure the speed we are getting the same value.

That is to say the speed of light in no way is changed with our speed. Speed of light is not relative to our speed.

The one moving away from light will find fault with the measuring instruments that are carried by the one moving toward the light beam. Similarly the other man will find fault with the instruments of the former.

Einstein asked us not to find fault with the instruments but asked us to accept the fact that the instruments are really adopting their shape and value according to their speed in such a manner that give the speed of light to be measured as a constant.

As one approaches the speed of light the length contracts and time dilates, mass increases and theoretically the length becomes zero, time stops its motion and mass increases to infinity. Hence one can approach the speed of light and never can attain the speed of light.

The only way with which the energy is transmitted from sun and other stars to the planets is by means of electro magnetic radiation (light). In Nature it has an absolute speed.
Matter can approach the speed of light, but never attains that speed.

Answer 5

I'm no scientist either, but I can get through a copy of Scientific American.

The speed of light is a restraint on everything in the universe, not just travel. And, ultimately, there is no reason why, it's just the way things are.

Answer 6

While this is just theory (how could we ever prove something like this?), but it is a hypothesis that if we were to surpass the speed of light, we would actually cause a "universal black hole" because with speed, matter gains weight, producing a huge gravitational pull. This would basically suck everything in and then... who knows?! I know it sounds like Star Trek. But it's just a theory. Hah

Answer 7

well i don't know a ton about it, but I have asked a few science teachers before because I too have wondered about that. They told me that Einstein had a theory about how if anything (even energy) goes faster then light it will go backwards in time. Pretty cool I think.

Answer 8

I know that as things travel at a greater velocity, time slows down for that thing. It's been proven. And I also believe that as things travel faster, their mass increases. So if you were to approach light speed, you would be approaching infinite mass.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, 'common sense' (an oxymoron if ever one existed) is one of the things that has impeded the progress of science throughout the ages.
Go learn a bit about Special Relativity and you may understand it all a bit better.

Doug

Answer 10

I've never heard a scientist say nothing is faster than the speed of light.