Exploring the Myth of High-Speed Travel Through Walls

[superweirdo]

I saw in a series on discovery channel that sometimes, when something travels too fast, it can go through walls like it is invisible. But my physics teacher told me that that is rediculous, that he has never heard of it. I am really sure that I heard that b/c they even showed a video of a ufo doing it.(virtual) Is it just a myth, a theory, or a truth?

 

[Danger]

I'm not quite sure in what manner you mean 'invisible'. It is possible that something with the right vibrational frequency and atomic distribution could 'phase' through another solid object. In fact, if you leave two objects in contact for several times the lifespan of the universe, it could, theoretically, occur spontaneously.
On the other hand, if you mean penetration of one object by sheer force, it happens all the time. Bullets, for example, or the proverbial straw in a hurricane.

 

[superweirdo]

I mean that an object w/ tremendoes speed(probably faster than light) goes through another object without doing anything to it, but everytime, not once colliding.

 

[Danger]

Lose the idea about 'faster than light'. Ain't going to happen.
If a collision happened with one or both of the objects moving at relativistic speed, there would be one horrendous explosion due to the heat of compression and friction. You can see what happens to a meteor, which is not at anywhere near the kind of speed you're implying, when it collides with some itty-bitty air molecules.

 

[superweirdo]

If you are a science student danger, I am sure you know what is the meaning of "assume".

 

[berkeman]

What was that movie where the car could drive through mountains? Dang, the name escapes me at the moment. It kind of looked like a UFO, or maybe more like a DeLorean (no not Back To The Future). Seemed pretty well based in science.

 

[berkeman]

Got it. Buckaroo Banzai! http://www.figmentfly.com/bb/bbindex.shtml

Is that what you meant, superweirdo? Or maybe you're thinking of neutrinos (which really do fly through mountains)?

NOVA episode, "The Ghost Particle" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neutrino/

 

[chroot]

You might be talking about quantum tunneling. Note that quantum tunneling has nothing to do with faster-than-light travel (which cannot happen), nor even high-velocity travel. Note also that it does not apply to macroscopic objects like cars or UFOs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tunneling

- Warren

 

[Danger]

If you are a science student danger, I am sure you know what is the meaning of "assume".

Now who's assuming? I haven't been a student in over 30 years.

 

[superweirdo]

what you guys are telling me has nothing to do w/ speed, I guess my ears really were just banging. or wait, do you have to get those neutrinos at a certain speed to be able to cross the mountains?

 

[Danger]

You don't get neutrinos to a particular speed; they're already there. Up until a couple of decades ago, in fact, they were thought to be massless and thus traveling at light-speed. It turns out that they actually have a rest mass of a couple of eV, so their speed is slightly lower.