Locking, at the speed of light.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theoretical implications of a physical system designed to accelerate an object towards the speed of light. Participants explore the potential failure modes of such a system, particularly focusing on structural integrity and the concept of a "C-lock" that may prevent achieving light speed. The conversation includes personal experimental experiences and considerations of safety in high-velocity systems.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that a specially designed system could theoretically attempt to approach the speed of light but would ultimately fail due to structural limitations, suggesting a "C-lock" mechanism that prevents complete expression of the system.
  • Another participant questions the feasibility of constructing a system strong enough to withstand the forces involved, noting that mass and inertia would approach infinity as speed nears light speed.
  • A participant shares a personal experiment involving the acceleration of an object, highlighting the dangers of structural failure and the need for safety measures in high-velocity experiments.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential for catastrophic fragmentation of components during high-speed operations, emphasizing the risks involved in such experiments.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and agreement on the feasibility of the proposed system. While some acknowledge the theoretical aspects, there is no consensus on the practicality or safety of such experiments, and multiple competing views on the structural integrity and potential outcomes remain.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not fully resolved the assumptions regarding the strength of materials and the nature of forces involved in high-speed acceleration. The discussion reflects a range of perspectives on the limits of current technology and safety considerations.

pallidin
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If a geometrically designed physical system was such that a) the collapse(or extended expression of the system) caused "stacked" acceleration to potentialize the speed of light towards the end, and b) that the input force and structural strength of the system was high enough, what would happen?
This has bugged me for some time.
Now, my developed thoughts are this: the system MUST FAIL. That is, the system must fail to achieve speeds in excess of or even nearly approaching the speed of light. Fine, I understand that.
But how is this failure characterized with stable potentialization of C through a specially designed mechanism?
I would propose that a "lock" would occur, specifically a "C-lock" if you will, that would forbid the complete expression of the system, wholly unrelated to friction or the "next-stage" force reduction common in stacked accelerative arrangements.
Any thoughts on this?
 
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Could you rephrase this question? I simply do not understand what you are trying to say. Simplfy, simplfy, simplfy.
 
I understand the question: No. I have no thoughts on that.
 
I'm not sure you could make it strong enough. I imagine the systems mass (and hence its inertia) would be approaching infinity as its speed approaches C.
 
Bravo, MisterBig!

Those are my thoughts exactly.
That is, such a system would tend to fail, not in concept, but rather in its structural integrity.
Given a sufficient amount of input force to produce the effect would severely strain the components of the system; possibly making this one of the most dangerous experiments one could perform(as ultra-high velocity fragmentation during component breakdown occurs, flying-off in multiple directions)
An actual experiment I did involved the acceleration of a 5 oz object to about 70 miles per hour by initiating the first stage of a 7 stage system with the initial input force supplied by simply my hands lightly squeezing a special component of the first stage.
Though the speed increase of 70 mph might not seem all that remarkable(it was a basic proof-of-concept test), the lesson I learn was: the 6th stage prematurely slammed into the 7th stage, causing both to deflect, and the 7th stage nearly hit me in the head. That would have hurt, if not killed me. As a result, I ceased all further testing until adequate saftey measures are in place and I conceive a better design to mitigate stage collision.
Could one generate and direct enough initial force to even perform such an experiment to obtain potential speeds far in excess of my simple test? My gross calculations suggest this to be well within current technology.
Could the components of such a system be strong enough to express the potentialization without deadly fragmentation? Now that's another matter, and seems to be the decisive key I have not yet found.
Just some more thoughts...

Pallidin
 

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