Acceleration of an object to the speed of light.

In summary, the conversation discusses the definition of matter and radiant energy according to Pauling's General Chemistry. The question arises of whether an object accelerated to the speed of light would become radiant energy, but it is concluded that this scenario cannot occur due to the laws of physics. Therefore, the definition given by Pauling makes logical sense.
  • #1
Hunus
15
0
I'm reading Pauling's General Chemistry and he starts off his first chapter with, "Matter may be defined as any kind of mass-energy that moves with velocities less that the velocity of light, and radiant energy as any kind of mass-energy that moves with the velocity of light."

I know that we can't accelerate an object to the speed of light, but the wording of this sentence seems to imply that, if we could, it would become radiant energy; as it would then be mass-energy moving with the velocity of light.

So my question is, if we could accelerate an object to the speed of light would it become radiant energy?
 
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  • #2
Hunus said:
...if we could accelerate an object to the speed of light...
The answer is, as you've already admitted, is we can't. (You are, in effect, asking, what would happen if the laws of physics were different? We can't use the laws of physics to answer that.)

That's why the definition makes sense. Anything that starts off slower than light will always be slower than light. Anything that starts off at the speed of light will always be at the speed of light.
 

FAQ: Acceleration of an object to the speed of light.

1. What is the speed of light?

The speed of light is a constant physical constant equal to approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. It is denoted by the symbol "c" and is the fastest possible speed at which all matter and information in the universe can travel.

2. Can any object achieve the speed of light?

No, according to the theory of relativity, it is impossible for any object with mass to reach the speed of light. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases infinitely and requires an infinite amount of energy to continue accelerating. Therefore, only massless particles, such as photons, can travel at the speed of light.

3. How is the acceleration of an object to the speed of light calculated?

The acceleration of an object to the speed of light is not a simple calculation as it requires the object to have infinite energy. In theory, the acceleration can be calculated by dividing the amount of energy needed by the mass of the object. However, this is not possible in reality as it would require an infinite amount of energy.

4. What happens to time and space when an object approaches the speed of light?

According to the theory of relativity, time and space are relative and are affected by an object's speed. As an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down for the object relative to an observer and its length contracts in the direction of motion. This is known as time dilation and length contraction.

5. Is the speed of light constant in all reference frames?

Yes, the speed of light is constant in all inertial reference frames, meaning that it will be measured as the same value by all observers regardless of their relative motion. This is one of the fundamental principles of the theory of relativity. However, the observed frequency and wavelength of light may differ in different reference frames due to the effects of time dilation and length contraction.

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