What imposes C, the fundamental speed limit of everything?

Question

What stops matter going faster then 185 999mps?

185 999 miles per second.
Thats near enough correct. Its 300 000 km per second.

Answer 1

Nothing prevents matter from exceeding the speed of light!

According to the special theory of relativity, Mass increases with Speed (as a percentage of C) for any particle with positive mass.

As you approach the speed of light, Mass approaches Infinity. Once you exceed the speed of light, Mass starts to reduce again. Mass equals Infinity AT the speed of light.

Only particles with a rest mass of Zero (ie Photons) can travel AT the speed of light. In actual fact, they cannot travel at any speed. When you create a photon, it start to travel at the speed of light instantaneously.

Hope this helps (though I expect it will just confuse>_<)

JBV^_^

Answer 2

At the deepest level, the fundamental structure of the vacuum, which we do not know, yet. Just like the speed of sound is a material constant, the speed of light is a vacuum constant. The speed of sound can be calculated from the mass, density and interactions of gas molecules. If we had a theory for the vacuum which is similarly well understood as that for gases, we would be able to calculate c from first principles.

Having said that, there are enormous differences between the speed of light and the speed of sound and the structures of the underlying theories.

The speed of light, by the way, does not have to be a fundamental constant. It is only a constant for low energy particles. We do not know if it stays the same for energies near the Planck scale. This is an experimental question which would require an experimental answer.

We also do not know if the speed of light has any meaning at the smallest scales (again near the Planck scale) or in the earliest phase of the universe. Currently we assume it is a constant because we do not know better. That does not mean nature sees it the same way.

The special and general theories of relativity do not change much about this because they depend on the speed of light being constant in any (local) coordinate system, not the other way round. So when the speed of light turns out to be variable under some circumstances, both theories will be immediately invalidated under the same circumstances.

Answer 3

What imposes a speed limit? Err the universe that we inhabit.

Experimental observation of our universe indicates that there is a speed limit and that light travels at that speed. Theories have been developed that even if they don't explain why the universe is the way it is at least tell us how the universe behaves. As physics has advanced over the years our theories have evolved to explain more and more of what we observe. The light speed limit was a relatively recent addition to those theories. Experiment has confirmed that a theory with a speed limit for light fits observation better than one without. But as with any theory it is only one experiment away from being overturned. Just hasn't happened yet.

Miles, seconds, meters are all man made constructs that allow us to communicate with each other. The universe doesn't give a damn about our units, or our theories for that matter.

Answer 4

The speed of light first appeared in Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. In these four equations, Maxwell (during the later half of the nineteenth century) brought together the then diverse fields of electrostatics, electricity and magnetism into one unified theory. From these equations, in their modern format, it may be shown that 'c' (the speed of light or electromagnetic radiation) is expressed as: -

c =1
.... ------------------------
.....sqrt(mu0.epsilon0)


Where, mu0 is the magnetic permeability of free space and epsilon0 is the electrostatic permeability of free space. Here, the sqrt() symbol means the square root.

During the development of his theory of electromagnetism, Maxwell proposed that electromagnetic waves propagate through space on a medium known as the 'ether'. Experimental searches for the 'ether', right at the end of the nineteenth century, failed to detect it and so various scientist proposed 'Ad Hoc' contraction explanations to account for the experimental equipment's 'short comings'. In 1905, Albert Einstein swept away the 'ether' and 'quick fix' suggestions by publishing the 'Special Theory of Relativity', which imposed an upper limit upon all velocities - namely the speed of light. Within Einstein's theory, the speed of light is a property set by the nature of space time and of course was already implicit within the above stated Maxwell's equations.

Answer 5

As Frank N states why the speed of light has the value that it has is a mystery. The fact that there is a finite speed does make sense from theological considerations. We are not and never will be God. If information could be transmitted (and consequently processed) at infinite speed we could then be all-knowing, all-present, IE God.

Answer 6

JACBASSV
With infinite mass at the speed of light, how exactly would you accelerate a body to that speed, let alone beyond it? If you did succeed, then the body would have imaginary mass (in the mathematical sense), and heaven knows what kind of physical interpretation you would put on that.

Answer 7

c itself was found out by math equations. The velocity relative to the person who is moving at the vector of the velocity sees that he/she does not have a 'speed limit.' A standing observer may see a speed limit, but it's all relative.

The dispute between the two observers is not just velocity, but also time. Average distance is distance over time. If time seems relative, then so does velocity. And time measurements change, relatively, such that there seems a speed limit to a motionless observer.

Answer 8

Relative velocities are not vectors. They do not add.

You can go faster and faster and nothing will prevent you from accelerating further, there is nothing like magical impenetrable wall at distance C, off which everhting bounces. In fact C is located at infinite distance from zero velocity. The distance to your velocity is arth(v/c), and this distance is unlimited, but because slowly-moving humans use artificial quantity to describe motion of bodies (namely 3-velocity, which again is not even covariant vector), this quantity appears to never exceed C.

Answer 9

It's a property of the structure of spacetime. It is determined by the relationship between the electric and magnetic field. One of the biggest unsolved problems of physics is why the constants of nature have the values they have. At this point, we have no clue. It's how our universe was designed. Your universe may differ.

Answer 10

You must have studied Einstein's Relativistic formula for mass and it says m=m0/sqrt(1-v2/c2)
Now if you consider a particle having speed greater than the ultimate speed (let it be v=1.5c) than if you try to find out the value of sqrt in the expression than its value is coming out to be imaginary i.e.
m=m0/ imaginary
and this will imply that the rest mass to be imaginary and which is not physically accepted.
(You please do the calculations as i wrote in my answer and than you will find the answer)