Posted on 08/16/2007 10:15:43 AM PDT by LibWhacker
A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.
According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.
However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.
The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart.
Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.
For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving.
The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.
Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine: "For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of."
So are you saying that a photon of light could arrive before even being sent? LOL! It just took off and got there before I hit the switch? What if I changed my mind and didn’t hit the switch?
Oh, yeah...
“Photons have no mass.”
Then why does a photon drive work?
Ping to the funniest post (#47) I’ve seen all day.
gives “in before the zot” a whole ‘nuther meaning
“So are you saying that a photon of light could arrive before even being sent? LOL! It just took off and got there before I hit the switch? What if I changed my mind and didn’t hit the switch?”
You obviously are not a Presbyterian.
oh puhlease ****
Nope, no oh please. I'm series.
With the M Theory Physicists have proved Alternate (parallel) Universes exist (and that there's eleven dimensions, not just the three we know, or 4 including 'time', but that's another matter). To quote one he said,
"In one universe you are there but I am not. In another universe Al Gore is President."The M Theory also answers the cause of the Big Bang.
Note: none of this negates God or religion in general. 'Someone' had to put all this 'stuff' there to begin with.
Are you sure about that?
‘Spooky action at a distance’?
I'm refraining from posting any Helen Thomas Pics
Actually, Kurt Godel developed a solution to the Einstein equations which describe “closed timelike lines” in which it is possible to travel “back” in time without having to travel faster than the speed of light.
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I want to go back to an evening I spent with Maria Louisa Gonzalez Escobar in Mexico. Can you please forward me the equations?
I’m fairly sure that measuring departure and arrival time with a light beam over a short distance of only 3 feet is plenty of room for error. Like I said, how can something arrive before it leaves?
Interesting, if true, but I remember the "cold fusion" excitement, in the 1980s, which turned out to be just experimental error.
In this case the microwaves should have taken about 3 billionths of a second (.000000003 seconds) to travel this far. The difference between .000000003 seconds, and 0 seconds, is very small, and requires very good experimental methodology to measure correctly.
186,000 mps +- 4,321 mps (19 times out of 20), more or less.
I'm sorry, but these days the meter is defined in terms of the distance light travels in a second and the mile is defined in terms of meters, so there is no +/- on the speed of light in miles per second.
Message from the Fancy Footwork Ping List!
bump for later reading
bump
Good one.
YOU MEAN MADONNA FINALLY GOT THE BIG ONE?????
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