Sultan_of_Football
Newbie
Posts: 1
|
 |
« on: August 07, 2011, 02:02:30 AM » |
|
I know there's some mini particles that already do surpass the speed of light. If our technology was limitless, limited only by the proven laws of physics, would we be able to surpass the speed of light on a large scale? If so, how much? Can we pull off a Star Trek and go into warp speed?  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Timothy
Newbie
Posts: 7
|
|
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2011, 03:23:11 AM » |
|
Yea. Light travels rather slow. Did you know that it takes eight min for light to travel from the sun to earth?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Billy_Erickson
Newbie
Posts: 1
|
|
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2011, 03:49:50 AM » |
|
Ok follow these steps to acces light speed
1. Get a flash light
2. Go in a dark room
3.turn the flashlight on
4.jump up and cheer that's light speed.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Pfo
Newbie
Posts: 3
|
|
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2011, 05:47:18 AM » |
|
No, your velocity can't be faster than light's maximum velocity. You can bend space though, and arrive at your destination sooner than you would have if you had travelled straight to it at the speed of light, but at no point in time while doing that would your speed have exceeded light's maximum speed.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Tilestop
Newbie
Posts: 1
|
|
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2011, 05:54:13 AM » |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
FatGuy
Newbie
Posts: 1
|
|
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2011, 06:54:52 AM » |
|
no. at least not with our present technology, and understanding of quantum physics.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
RickB
Newbie
Posts: 2
|
|
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2011, 07:17:25 AM » |
|
> "I know there's some mini particles that already do surpass the speed of light."
I think you heard that wrong. There are HYPOTHETICAL particles called "tachyons" which, if they exist, would travel faster than light. But it must be emphasized that we have absolutely ZERO evidence that such things actually exist, or even that they CAN exist. Many scientists think they don't. The only thing keeping the tachyon idea alive is that, as far as we know, they wouldn't violate any known laws of physics.
Among the particles KNOWN to exist, none travel faster than "c" (the speed of light in a vacuum).
> "If our technology was...limited only by the proven laws of physics, would we be able to surpass the speed of light on a large scale?"
The laws of physics as we know them today say that no energy, information, or material can exceed speed "c"; so the answer is "No" -- unless we have a revolution in our understanding of the nature of space and time.
But having said that...
There is some speculation that there may be ways to get from point "A" to point "B" through a nonstandard path (like a wormhole), arriving sooner that a lightbeam shone along the standard path. This would not involve traveling faster than light (we still couldn't outrun a light beam travelling alongside us); it would be more like finding a "shortcut".
However, wormholes, like tachyons, are hypothetical. We just don't know enough to know whether they do (or can) exist. Also, wormholes have their own set of problems; theoretical calculations seem to indicate that (if they can exist) they would be so skinny as to allow nothing bigger than an atom to fit through them, and they would collapse almost immediately, and they would spew tremendous amounts of lethal radiation.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
oldprof
Newbie
Posts: 9
|
|
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2011, 07:25:33 AM » |
|
Faster than the speed of light in a vacuum? Then the conventional answer is no. But that answer depends on the assumption that vacuum, deep space vacuum, is homogeneous throughout the universe. In HS and the vast majority of college courses, that is a fair assumption to make.
But some are speculating that might not be the case. Some are speculating that our universe might have diverse densities of deep space. In which case, if there are regions where there is a thinner vacuum than our normal space, the speed of light in that region will be faster than the speed of light we are familiar with. [See source.]
There are no... no... "min particles that ... surpass the speed of light." Anything you've heard otherwise is pure bogus myth. Or sci-fi at best. And no amount of technology will change that speed limit.
MEMO
Date: 8/5/2511
From: Kirk
To: Scotty
We are a myth, sci-fi. Nothing you or I do is real. Sorry, Scotty. Now beam me up at the speed of light, but no more.
/s/Kirk, Capt. USS Enterprise
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
