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faster than light (Read 845 times)
Dec 3rd, 2003 at 6:23pm

Craig.   Offline
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been thinking about it.
If faster than light travel were possible, it brings up the question, how would you be able to see where you are heading? since we basically need light to see things, wouldnt  going faster than light make you blind to whatever your looking at??
 
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Reply #1 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 6:31pm

Hagar   Offline
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Good point. I wouldn't worry about it or you'll end up like me or worse. LOL

I can't see it being possible. <pun intended> Wink
 
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Reply #2 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 6:33pm

Craig.   Offline
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lol. the only thing i really send myself crazy about is time travel, and temperal mechanics. that really would finish a person off:)
i do honestly think it would be possible one day. just not for a few hundred years.
 
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Reply #3 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 6:40pm

Hagar   Offline
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I noticed Pippin just posted a topic on time travel. I don't believe that's possible either, any more than travelling at the speed of light. Only light can do that. Roll Eyes

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Reply #4 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 6:59pm

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I rather like the "wormholes" theories in science fiction literature that posit the possibility of space-time "passages" between points in space.  That reasonably allows travel between star systems "instantly" yet travel within the immediate vicinity is at LTL speeds
 
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Reply #5 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 8:24pm

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Remember at faster-than-light speeds. ANY impact AT ALL would be quite dangerous! Just imagine you are going the speed of light when you incounter a small cloud of dust, Think of the result.
 
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Reply #6 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 8:27pm

chomp_rock   Offline
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Come to think of it not a cloud of dust, a cloud of anything (Even air).
 
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Reply #7 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 9:41pm

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Uh............is this where they're given' away the free donuts?
 
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Reply #8 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 9:47pm

OTTOL   Offline
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Dammit Jim! I'm a pilot, not a rocket scientist!  Didn't someone pose the question...........If you were in an airplane travelling at Mach .999, and threw a baseball forward, would it break the speed of sound?   Doesn't the "can't see where you're going" question apply here? You can't see where you're going in a Submarine either. That doesn't stop them!


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Reply #9 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 10:10pm

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Now, now.  Remember when "experts" believed the sound barrier was unbreakable.  I think time travel is interesting, but realistically impossible.  Why don't we see visitors from the future then?  Also, light is being scattered in all directions.  Say you're going faster than the speed of light, towards, umm, Jupiter.  Light is being reflected off Jupiter and coming back at you, so you would still see it.  Now if you were heading away from it...

So if you had a mirror on a space ship (like combat mirrors on warbirds) you theoritically couldn't see what's behind you.  My question is, would the mirror be black or what?  If you were to hold a mirror up in front of you while you're just sitting in this spaceship, would the light go the speed of light plus the speed the spaceship is going (airplane & baseball) or is the speed of light light's limit?
 
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Reply #10 - Dec 3rd, 2003 at 10:50pm

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ok...if you are going faster that the speed of light and you shine a light in front of you, you would be able to see.
here is why I say this and I'll put it in a way easy to understand.
First,  forget about(wind) resistance (its futile). Now you are in a plane flying at 700mph. Your plane has a gun that shoots a round at 700mph. You shoot the gun while flying and the bullet is now going 1400mph. A more practical application...You are on a train going 100mph, a professional ball player throws a fast ball at 100mph. Ball is at 200 mph.
So, you go at 186,000 miles/second and you turn on the headlights that shoot a beam of light at 186,000 miles/second, you will be able to see because the light is travelling at 186,000 mps and is being push at 186,000 mps. Your light photons are now going at 372,000mps

Class dismissed, thank you Discovery channel

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Reply #11 - Dec 4th, 2003 at 3:54am

Delta_   Offline
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To go faster than the speed of light you would need to have a greater than infinite mass which is impossible.  If you ignored that first statement which by itself shows you can not go faster than the speed of light and pretend that you could go faster than the speed of light you would be able to see you self behind you self if you made a u-turn.  As for light in front of you, if it going towards you you will see it but you may stuggle to interpret it as lots of it would be seen at once.  

The only thing i know of that can travel faster than the speed of light is data.  that has not been fully proven or understod yet though.
 
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Reply #12 - Dec 4th, 2003 at 5:53am

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Quote:
The only thing i know of that can travel faster than the speed of light is data.  that has not been fully proven or understod yet though


I don't see what you're saying here, mate. Data travels at the speed that the medium by which it is transferred allows. Be it a hollow tube to yell into Grin or a fibre optic cable
To my knowledge, the fibre optic cable is the fastest method in that, the 'data' is transferred at the speed of light (that's as fast as we need when you consider that it's over 6 times around the world within a second).

As for seeing things while travelling at light speed or faster. Light is 'particles' - called photons. Same as everything else, no hard scientific explanations needed. Simply particles that travel at "C".

When you are running, or in a car, a plane, a jet or a rocket, particles that are moving slower than you, i.e dust, clouds, rain etc, can still be seen and heard and felt.
Why not light particles? The 'picture' that you see may be different, but you would still see it, no matter how long or far it has travelled.  Grin Wink
 
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Reply #13 - Dec 4th, 2003 at 6:15am

Craig.   Offline
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to those who keep saying its impossible, no it isnt. We just havent gotten there yet. They said breaking the sound barrier was impossible but it happend when we had the technology and understanding, they said we couldnt go into space or to the moon, but we did when we had the technology and understanding. Right now we dont have the technology one day we will.

now loomex, i am not really on about if you were to shine a light while traveling said speed, i am on about if you were to plot a direct course back to the sun out into space at the speed of light, i know it wouldnt be possible without hitting something but theoreticlly speaking. your only light source is the sun the light which is coming from it would be traveling slower than you so to see any light you would as someone suggested, have to look back. and who suggested hitting air would be dangerous? in space there is no air, remember if your ever to be able to travel these speeds it wont be on a planet.
 
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Reply #14 - Dec 4th, 2003 at 6:21am

loomex   Offline
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ah, ok Craig. I have the answer.
Star Trek.

Grin

(I'm suprised no one else said this)
 
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