Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Boogieman
not all reference frames will represent an accurate picture of objective reality. For example, if you were moving at the speed of light towards Alpha Centuari, the distance between the sun and AC shrinks to ZERO, from your perspective, but still, the two stars would not collide with catastrophic consequences.

Your example doesn't apply, as special relativity does not allow light-speed travel. (The FTL travel of the article involves stretching distances behind the traveler, so zero separation again does not apply.)

One could point out that near-light-speed travel would bring the stars into arbitrarily close proximity. But many other observations would also change, e.g, the shape of the stars; if one works out ALL the physics, no laws are violated in the traveler's frame of reference.

97 posted on 05/20/2021 8:01:26 AM PDT by NobleFree ("law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies ]


To: NobleFree

“Your example doesn’t apply, as special relativity does not allow light-speed travel.”

Of course it does. Zillions of photons are traveling at the speed of light right now, perfectly in accordance with special relativity. It just doesn’t allow you to accelerate a massive object to the speed of light (in the spatial dimensions).

“if one works out ALL the physics, no laws are violated in the traveler’s frame of reference”

Which is not the same as saying that their perspective, in their frame of reference is as accurate depiction of objective reality as every other. The math may work perfectly well, but the conclusions you draw may not be the correct ones, if your perception of reality has been skewed, for example by the relativistic effects that I’ve already mentioned.


98 posted on 05/20/2021 8:37:45 AM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson