Posted on 03/20/2005 8:31:45 PM PST by KevinDavis
Einstein's special theory of relativity predicts that nothing can exceed the speed of light. But special relativity applies when spacetime is flat. When spacetime is curved, the theory applies only "locally"--that is, over regions of spacetime small enough to be considered flat. Consider the analogy of a plane that is tangent to a sphere. The flat geometry of the plane is a good approximation to the geometry of the sphere when the size of the plane is very small compared to the sphere's radius of curvature.
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I hate to be a wet blanket, but...
Ever have a bug hit your windshield as you're tooling down the highway? Of course you have. A minor smudge on the glass, and that's about it.
Now, ever have a rock kicked up or tossed out by a semi strike your windshield while cruising at freeway speeds? I have, a couple of times. Chipped or Cracked glass, possibly worse.
Sadly, empty interstellar space is not all that empty. I for one would NOT want to be in a vehicle moving at 93,000 miles per SECOND that was going to hit anything larger than an occasional hydrogen atom. That's just at 1/2 lightspeed, where there are NO theoretical problems at all!
Assuming someone develops some sort of really cool, nigh invulnerable shielding, then at a minimum, what you have is the re-introduction of aerodynamic drag and "wind" resistance, and your energy consumption just to maintain a constant speed increases exponentially.
No, the only way you are going to be able to cross interstellar distances is with either a slow boat generational ship, or with the "warping" of space, essentially folding the distance to bring your destination "closer" to you.
We already can.Dont you guys watch Stargate SG1.What a bunch of morons.
Long, long ago, in 1922, Louis DeBroglie published his theory of MATTER WAVES. They were subsequently discovered at the Bell Labs : we're HALF waves as well as particles : MATTER WAVES or the "wave function" as obliquely referred to by physicists(hoping you'll get ElectroMagnetic waves confused with MATTER WAVES). Thus the formula : E=mc^2=hw where h is the quantum and w is the "wave number". DeBroglie's formula for the maximum velocity of MATTER WAVES is U = c^2/v. Relativists went ballistic upon hearing that MATTER WAVES travel FASTER than the speed of light(c); thus the "cover story" of phase and group waveforms(pure nonsense to cover their behinds), and cosigning DeBroglie to "crazy aunt alice" status. How often do you hear MATTER WAVES discussed by physicists? Thus by n/0=n and nx0=n(division is repetitive subtraction, n/0=n-0-0-...=n ; and what is 2x3x0? thus nx0=n+0=n), thus it reduces to E=c^2=w. Thus FTL has been there as the foundation of quantum mechanics since the beginning. Analogy (to a jet plane): locally v=0(everything within is in a pure momentum state)and globally moving at c^2, covering 1 light year in 105 seconds....
It does no such thing. The theory *assumes* that nothing can travel faster than light. The rest, like E=MC2, comes from that assumption.
The speed of sound was once a barrier too- no more!
No every claimed the speed of light is constant, regardless of the media it is traveling in. What is claimed is that the speed of light *in a vacuum* is the same for all observers, regardless of relative motion. Some aspects of super-string/twistor theory seem to indicate that the speed of light, in a vacuum, *should* be changing over time.
I say we reach light speed first then try to go faster after that. Wake me up when we reach light speed. ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.
Never say never. Anything can be done.
No one will ever prove that an angle can be trisected using only an unruled straightedge and a collapsible compass.
No one will ever prove that the square root of 2 is equal to a ratio of two integers.
And these classics are only the tip of the iceberg of things that no one will ever prove.
Sorry, Kevin, but "Anything can be done" is a false statement.
So, you should only go at the speed of light during the day time. Good to know.
What is the Space Time thing?
No, there was an experiment done a couple years ago using the same methodology determining the speed of light - Jupiter and mistimed calculations due to speed of light error.
Jupiter was to pass by a loud radio source, and it was determined when and how the gravity would alter the signal given speed of light values, or instantaneous values.
The speed of the influence of gravitational effects is the speed of light. This means if the sun were to spontaneously vanish from the center of the solar system, it would take 8 minutes for the earth to fly off in a straight line.
It's an issue of dimensions, not speed in space-time.
What is the Space Time thing?
Not sure what your question means.
I don't think so, take into account solar flares cause fuxuations in the Earth magnetic field which might prevent the creation of a 'on planet' stable wormhole for any amount of time.
But I do see the possiblity of this research leading to a gate system that is at one quarter of the speed of light (in a vacuum) like what is shown in the anime Cowboy Bebop and maybe someday a warp drive.
Diamonds reduce light to about 60% of lights speed in a vaccuum. That's why its refraction raating is so high.
Yup, gee, that's really great. Instead of having one solar system to f**k up, you're now gonna give them multiple systems to do their work. Plus, with FTL, there's no way to "vote with your feet" that they can't reach you at. No thanks.
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