Breaking the light barrier

erm... explain how then?

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_complex wrote:

erm... explain how then?

If I send morse code or some other message from a halfway point then both receive the same message in the same instant.

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John Jones wrote:

_complex wrote:
erm... explain how then?

If I send morse code or some other message from a halfway point then both receive the same message in the same instant.

In the same instant, but not instantly, genius. The signal, if energy, travels at the speed of light.

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Milfmaster9 wrote:

well i doubt the borg is causing it now... imagine spending your whole life on a ship... doesnt appeal to me one bit... human nature needs room and openspace... on a ship may limit this as a habitable planet may be generations away and how many generations will have to pass before the planet is suitibly adapted for our needs..

Actually...you are doing that right now, Milf. We all are. Our planet is, in effect, a huge space ship travelling through the cosmos.

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Just to throw another monkey wrench into the ability to try to grasp it.

Imagine 2 spaceships travelling at .75 the speed of light going in opposite directions. If it was 2 cars traveling at 60 mph an observer in one car would see the other car go by at 120 mph. No such thing for an observer in one of the spaceships. They see the other ship pass by at less than the speed of light.

Because the speed of light is always constant you will always be stationary compared to your observation of light. You can't speed up compared to light, only compared to other objects.

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parados wrote:

Just to throw another monkey wrench into the ability to try to grasp it.

Imagine 2 spaceships travelling at .75 the speed of light going in opposite directions. If it was 2 cars traveling at 60 mph an observer in one car would see the other car go by at 120 mph. No such thing for an observer in one of the spaceships. They see the other ship pass by at less than the speed of light.

Because the speed of light is always constant you will always be stationary compared to your observation of light. You can't speed up compared to light, only compared to other objects.

It's surprising to some people to hear that an observer watching the two spaceships go in opposite directions at .75 the speed of light in his own frame would indeed see them separating at a relative speed of 1.5 times the speed of light. Note that he would not measure any single object as travelling at more than .75 the speed of light with respect to him. A moment's thought shows that this is just a matter of definition and not the province of the velocity addition formulas.

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It is my theory that one of the best methods of travel that will get us closest to light speed is something that resembles a giant funnel. As it moves it will collect space dust and other matter, with a nuclear reactor to power it, it strips the stuff of electrons and then shoots them out the other end. As one of newtons laws states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. this means that, as we can accelerate an electron to very high speeds, the construct will move very fast, approximatley .97 of light speed. This thing needs no crew and is completely self-sufficiant.

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einherjinn wrote:

It is my theory that one of the best methods of travel that will get us closest to light speed is something that resembles a giant funnel. As it moves it will collect space dust and other matter, with a nuclear reactor to power it, it strips the stuff of electrons and then shoots them out the other end. As one of newtons laws states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. this means that, as we can accelerate an electron to very high speeds, the construct will move very fast, approximatley .97 of light speed. This thing needs no crew and is completely self-sufficiant.

Of course, once you get a mass moving that fast, it will take the same amount of energy to slow it down again (if you ever decide to do so).

I think engines like that are called Ram Scoops.

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rosborne979 wrote:

[Of course, once you get a mass moving that fast, it will take the same amount of energy to slow it down again (if you ever decide to do so).

.

There is no 'slowing down'. Speed is relative.

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John Jones wrote:

rosborne979 wrote:
[Of course, once you get a mass moving that fast, it will take the same amount of energy to slow it down again (if you ever decide to do so).

There is no 'slowing down'. Speed is relative.

Relative to its original speed (of course).

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One small problem with a ramscoop as I recall. Mass increases as the speed increases so it takes more and more energy to try to continue acceleration.

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John Jones wrote:

rosborne979 wrote:
[Of course, once you get a mass moving that fast, it will take the same amount of energy to slow it down again (if you ever decide to do so).

.

There is no 'slowing down'. Speed is relative.

Relative to the destination. Rolling Eyes

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Brandon9000 wrote:

John Jones wrote:
rosborne979 wrote:
[Of course, once you get a mass moving that fast, it will take the same amount of energy to slow it down again (if you ever decide to do so).

.

There is no 'slowing down'. Speed is relative.

Relative to the destination.

I might not be intending to go anywhere.

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He must be a celibate Druid of the honest type.

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wormholes....

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Milf-

Have I told you before how much I like your signature.If not-I love it.

Para wrote-

Quote:

One small problem with a ramscoop as I recall. Mass increases as the speed increases so it takes more and more energy to try to continue acceleration.

I found that too.

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well how would u test that theory in real time... ive an idea..

1. Get a fast car.

2. Buy a brick, tuct tape and a weighing scale.

3. Weigh yourself.

4. Find a nice open road and start accelerating.

5. Whilst in the final gear, remove foot from accelerator, replace with brick and tuct tape it down.

6. Now to the best of your ability weigh yourself and then attempt to stop the car.

7. Subtract the two..

(well i have noticed a huge flaw in this experient to begin with..... a what the hay..!

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Time travel for idiots:

1) Consume thirty or so pints of Guiness

2) Snort a dozen lines of pure Colombian blow

3) Stick your head in a microwave along with a dozen lightbulbs

4) Press the Start button

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It gets curiouser and curiouser,

Once we have attained light speed Very Happy

then we have a varying speed of time itself to deal with.

Once somebody figures that out then (optimist that I am) We will be able to go anywhere we want and still be back in time for work Confused

Heck, why work Question

Just keep coming back the same day for supper and bedtime :wink:

Seriously, the variations in the speed of time due to gravity, makes for some more interesting speculations. I darned sure don't have any easy answers, but I find the subject interesting Exclamation

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My compressing space and expending. Say a spaceship traveling in space would compress the space in front of it and then expand it behind it self. I think.

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Breaking the light barrier

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