Traveling at speed of light, and time.

In summary, as something approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object and light photons do not experience time. This concept can be difficult to understand, as photons are considered to be timeless and do not have a concept of time. One way to think about photons is as a straight, static, and timeless line segment connecting two points in spacetime. This concept was discussed in a conference in Berlin many years ago, similar to a joke about Prof. Hilbert not understanding the concept of "Hilbert space". To a photon, the concept of "spacetime" would also be confusing and unfamiliar.
  • #1
OrionVTOL
33
0
It has been stated that as something approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object.

Since light photons are traveling at the speed of light, does that make them even older?
 
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  • #2
light does not experience time.
 
  • #3
cragar said:
light does not experience time.

That's pretty much it. It doesn't even make sense to talk about time for a photon. Consider 'time' as something only massive particles have to deal with.
 
  • #4
One way to think about photons is that they are a straight, static, timeless line segment joining two points in spacetime.

This avoids the tricky concept that they "start here", "stop there", and "go from here to there in between".
 
  • #5
DaveC426913 said:
One way to think about photons is that they are a straight, static, timeless line segment joining two points in spacetime.

This avoids the tricky concept that they "start here", "stop there", and "go from here to there in between".

You're saying <a straight, static, timeless etc... I think we all agree on that. Although the way you put it, it reminded me of long time ago and a conference in Berlin where they were discussing the newly acquired <Hilbert space>. After a while Prof. Hilbert poked his elbow into his friend's ribs sitting next to him and said: <what are they talking about, what is this <hilbert-space> (maybe it is an old joke). If our photon could say his side of the story, it would say: <spacetime>? what is he talking about?
 

1. What is the speed of light and how does it relate to time?

The speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second and is considered the fastest possible speed in the universe. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, as an object approaches the speed of light, time appears to slow down for that object. This phenomenon is known as time dilation.

2. Can humans travel at the speed of light?

No, currently it is not possible for humans to travel at the speed of light. The fastest speed achieved by humans is about 24,791 miles per hour, which is less than 0.0001% of the speed of light. The amount of energy required to accelerate an object to the speed of light is infinite, making it impossible for humans to reach this speed.

3. How does traveling at the speed of light affect aging?

According to the theory of relativity, as an object travels closer to the speed of light, time slows down for that object. This means that a person traveling at the speed of light would experience time at a much slower rate compared to someone who is stationary. As a result, the person traveling at the speed of light would age slower than someone who is not.

4. Is it possible to go back in time by traveling at the speed of light?

While time dilation does occur when traveling at the speed of light, it is not possible to go back in time. This is because time dilation only affects the perception of time for the traveler, not the actual flow of time. In other words, the traveler would still experience time moving forward, just at a slower rate compared to someone who is not traveling at the speed of light.

5. How does the speed of light impact space travel?

The speed of light poses a major challenge for space travel because it is currently not possible to travel at this speed. This means that even for relatively short distances within our own solar system, it would take years or even decades to reach another planet. This is why scientists are constantly researching and developing new propulsion technologies to increase the speed at which we can travel through space.

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