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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

Yes, that is simple length contraction, but I don’t see how it helps us get practical interstellar travel without getting near the speed of light. After all, the contraction effects are pretty negligible until you start getting to at least significant fractions of c.


67 posted on 03/21/2013 6:32:05 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Boogieman

“...the contraction effects are pretty negligible until you start getting to at least significant fractions of c...”

With natural means. But artificial means follow the logical path, that there is a speed limit, but no known limit to spatial or temporal contraction or expansion.

A thought problem for this is a time machine that can go either forwards or backwards in time, but can also either maintain its location relative to the movement of the rest of the universe (like a typical sci-fi time machine) or remain at its absolute location, as the universe moves around it, or moves its location relative to the rest of the universe.

So, for example, if it wanted to materialize in the same location as when it left, it would have to follow the very elaborate vectors of everything else.

But if say they wanted to go to the far side of the galaxy, as long as they maintain their absolute location, relative to the galaxy as a whole, they could go forwards or backwards in time, say 250 million years, yet end up on the far side. Then go in the other direction in time, but relative to the rotation of the galaxy, and still be on the far side, but in the current day.

Finally moving within the galaxy would involve calculating where your destination had been, or was going to be. So even if you are just going 1000 mph, eventually in time you will reach that point.


69 posted on 03/21/2013 11:27:39 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Best WoT news at rantburg.com)
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