Why we can't reach the speed of light?

[ddl]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

The speed of light is a vertical asotope(sp) and as the mass approaches this vertical limit, mass increases to infinity making it impossble to get enough force to reach the speed of light.

Dan L

 

[RSeymour]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Let's see, if a tree falls in the forest....
or, as my wife explained it to me
If a man makes a decision in the forest and a woman is not present, is he still wrong?

 

[JonE]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Because God said so! Although, if God can move all over the galaxy in a relative moment, how does he do it?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Harv, I recently read that Pioneer 10, launched in the 70's (I think) was approaching the outer limits of explored space. NASA believed that something had gone wrong because instead of continuing to excelerate, Pioneer 10 was slowing down. However after nearly 10 years of silence Pioneer 11 (launched in the opposite direction of Pioneer10) began broadcasting again and to NASA's amazement, it too was slowing down.

Theories range from magnetic fields, "reverse gravitational pull" or (dare I say it?) the big bang theory is wrong and the universe is not expanding.

BTW, another example to explain worm holes is to use your monitor controls and pull the sides in like a pin cushion, moving point "A" closer to point "B"

Wise Guy

"I'm not a scientist, but I played one on TV."

 

[rekees]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

My tractor exceeded the speed of light when it lost traction going down a steep hill.

>>I would be entertained to hear anyone cogently explain in a clear, concise, communicable manner, how the speed of light can be attained or surpassed by material things.<<
I'd be more than entertained and so would the rest of the world because that feat would change everything!

Chuck in IN

 

[PaulT]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Scotty knew the answer. We haven't discovered dilithium yet.

"Cap'n, Mr. Spuck, Dun't ya see, I just cahn't make er go anee fahster! Someone took the dilithium crystals, and now widr all gunna die. AAAGHHH, she's breakin ohp Cap'n, she's breakin ohp......."

PaulT

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

I think all you guys should get together and write a movie script.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

With all your talent... it would absolutely be a blockbuster.../w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Phred]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Patrick,

It depends on how strictly you want to define speed..

Lets say its a light year from point A to point B; ie.. the distance that light travels in one year (a big number).

Now if you bend space such that point A is much closer to point B than a light year, it would in principle be possible to travel from point A to point B in a time less than one year, and therefore beat a beam of light to point B. So now you are travelling faster than the speed of light...in a tricky sort of way.

Bend space? Well actually black holes do this every day.

 

[patrickg]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

OK, John! Yeah, that is the way I learned it too (mostly) but ever hear of the Lorentz-Fitzgerald Contraction, as in pancake effect? Einstein was a great math and physics guy (terrible husband/father) but shouldn't be credited with every thought relalting to relativistic physics. Oddly enough, though Einstein published his famous relativity paper in 1905, Fitzgerald proposed his contraction several years earlier using the math you presented as Einsteins. What about the "Relativitats teory dem Max Plank? (Forgive me, unfortunately I get little or no practice for my German, just way too much for Spanish.)

Of course, Einsteinian physics (as in versus Euclidian/Newtonian) has become a generic term like Klenex, although a brand is now accepted as a generic term for facial tissue. So ref to Einsteinian physics is accepted as a ref to relativistic physics in general and I don't quibble with that B U T lets not credit Einstein with E V E R Y T H I N G.

Patrick

 

[patrickg]

Re: Why we can\'t reach the speed of light?

Black holes do it every day. OK, so does everything else in the universe, just not so much in so small a place. What is so special about a black hole except having enough mass so that light doesn't have enough energy to escape the gravity well? Aren't all the wonderfully strange things attributed to a black hole, except as noted above, happening to or near all gravitational masses, albeit in a diluted manner. If not, why not. At what point does the fabric of space time suddenly "know" to weird out. Is there a gravitational density factor that, like the speed of sound, is a non-linear trigger point or discontinuity?

Patrick