Ideas to Exceed Light Barrier: Share Yours Here

In summary, if scientists were to try and fire a particle at 99.999999% of the speed of light, it would theoretically reach or pass the speed of light.
  • #1
Caelus
11
0
if you have an idea on how to exceed the light barrier please post.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Move to a universe where relativity theory doesn't apply.
 
  • #3
The reason that light speed is "imposable" is because this faster it goes the more mass it has and therefore the harder to accelerate. but if you fired an object at Earth it would accelerate at 9.8 m/s regardless of an increase in mass. so if scientists got a particle up to 99.999999ect percent of the speed of light and fired it at a large enough planet it would, theoretically, reach or pass the speed of light!
 
  • #4
jtbell said:
Move to a universe where relativity theory doesn't apply.

good idea I sould try that!
 
  • #5
Caelus said:
The reason that light speed is "imposable" is because this faster it goes the more mass it has and therefore the harder to accelerate. but if you fired an object at Earth it would accelerate at 9.8 m/s regardless of an increase in mass. so if scientists got a particle up to 99.999999ect percent of the speed of light and fired it at a large enough planet it would, theoretically, reach or pass the speed of light!

Why do you assume acceleration caused by planets do not comply with relativity? You can influence a massive particle traveling extremely close to the speed of light in any number of ways yet still it won't reach the speed of light.
 
  • #7
Caelus said:
The reason that light speed is "imposable" is because this faster it goes the more mass it has and therefore the harder to accelerate. but if you fired an object at Earth it would accelerate at 9.8 m/s regardless of an increase in mass. so if scientists got a particle up to 99.999999ect percent of the speed of light and fired it at a large enough planet it would, theoretically, reach or pass the speed of light!

Even if you are going 99.9999% the speed of light away from the earth. You could accelerate to that large planet in the same direction you are moving at 100m/s^2 for a long time. But you wouldn't go faster than the speed of light when compared to earth. you would just get closer to the speed of light when compared to earth.
 
  • #8
but if you're moving tward Earth at 99.999999999 percent of light speed woulden't (asuming you had enough time) you accelerite at 9.82 m/s regardles of your velocity or mass and therefore excede the speed of light. Am I missing somthing?
 
  • #9
Caelus said:
but if you're moving tward Earth at 99.999999999 percent of light speed woulden't (asuming you had enough time) you accelerite at 9.82 m/s regardles of your velocity or mass and therefore excede the speed of light. Am I missing somthing?

Like I already said, the 9.8 m/s^2 acceleration is a classical approximation that does not work at relativistic speeds.
 
  • #10
Caelus said:
but if you're moving tward Earth at 99.999999999 percent of light speed woulden't (asuming you had enough time) you accelerite at 9.82 m/s regardles of your velocity or mass and therefore excede the speed of light. Am I missing somthing?

Yes, you are missing something. A basic understanding of relativity.
 
  • #11
Caelus said:
but if you're moving tward Earth at 99.999999999 percent of light speed woulden't (asuming you had enough time) you accelerite at 9.82 m/s regardles of your velocity or mass and therefore excede the speed of light. Am I missing somthing?
In special relativity, although all observers agree whether an acceleration is zero or not, they disagree on the value of a non-zero acceleration. So someone traveling at 99.999999999% of light speed towards Earth could measure an acceleration of 9.82 m/s2, but someone on Earth would measure the same acceleration to be almost zero, and getting smaller.

If you tried to accelerate at 9.82 m/s2 relative to Earth, the faster you go the more energy you need, and you'd run out before you reached light speed. (Also you would measure your own acceleration to be enormous and would get crushed to death.)
 
  • #12
Photons have zero mass, which is why they travel at the universe's prescribed maximum speed. Anything with mass can only travel a fraction of c. It doesn't matter how massive something is, it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate it to the speed of light. Remember that energy and mass are equivalent via the currency exchange of c-squared, and any object traveling at 99.9999% of c becomes extremely massive as well. When something is traveling that fast, it has accumulated a lot of energy and thus its effective mass is much higher. That's why asteroids that are small fractions of the Earth's size can wipe us out completely simply because gravity can propel them to incredible speeds, in which they pick up vast amounts of energy and then if they strike the Earth, the effect is that much greater. Another example is a coiled up jack in the box weighs slightly more than one that is just hanging out of the top.
 
  • #13
Caelus said:
but if you fired an object at Earth it would accelerate at 9.8 m/s regardless of an increase in mass. so if scientists got a particle up to 99.999999ect percent of the speed of light and fired it at a large enough planet it would, theoretically, reach or pass the speed of light!
No it would not, in fact the coordinate velocity of such a particle would decrease for such speeds.
 

FAQ: Ideas to Exceed Light Barrier: Share Yours Here

What is the light barrier and why is it important to exceed it?

The light barrier, also known as the speed of light, is the maximum speed at which anything in the universe can travel. It is an important concept in physics because it is a fundamental limit that governs many of our laws and theories, such as Einstein's theory of relativity.

Why do we want to exceed the light barrier?

Exceeding the light barrier would allow us to travel faster than the speed of light, which would have significant implications for space exploration and the development of advanced technologies. It could also potentially open up new avenues for time travel and communication across vast distances.

What are some existing ideas for exceeding the light barrier?

Some existing ideas include using advanced propulsion systems, such as antimatter or nuclear fusion, to achieve speeds close to the speed of light. Other theories propose manipulating space-time itself to create shortcuts or wormholes for faster travel.

What are the challenges of exceeding the light barrier?

One of the main challenges is the immense amount of energy required to accelerate an object to the speed of light. Additionally, as an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases, making it increasingly difficult to accelerate further. Other challenges include the potential for time dilation and the risk of collisions with objects in space.

How could we approach the problem of exceeding the light barrier?

To approach this problem, scientists and researchers will need to continue exploring and testing different theories and technologies. Collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary research may also be necessary to make significant breakthroughs in this area. Additionally, advancements in materials science and engineering may provide new solutions for overcoming the challenges of exceeding the light barrier.

Similar threads

Replies
9
Views
788
Replies
11
Views
1K
Replies
45
Views
4K
Replies
24
Views
812
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
45
Views
5K
Replies
12
Views
2K
Back
Top