Can an Object Falling in Infinite Gravity Break the Speed of Light?

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SUMMARY

An object falling in a gravitational field with an infinitely long radius cannot exceed the speed of light, as established by the principles of special relativity. The equations governing motion, such as F = dp/dt and p = m gamma v, illustrate that as an object approaches light speed, the energy required to continue accelerating it approaches infinity. Additionally, the Higgs mechanism imparts mass to particles, ensuring that nothing made of atoms can travel faster than light. Warp drives do not exist, and the laws of physics remain consistent across realistic scenarios.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of special relativity principles, including F = dp/dt and p = m gamma v.
  • Familiarity with the Higgs mechanism and its role in particle mass.
  • Knowledge of escape velocity and gravitational effects on motion.
  • Basic comprehension of kinetic energy equations and their implications in relativistic physics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Einstein's 1905 Special Relativity paper for a foundational understanding of light speed limitations.
  • Explore the implications of the Higgs mechanism on particle physics and mass generation.
  • Investigate the concept of escape velocity and its applications in astrophysics.
  • Learn about the mathematical formulation of relativistic kinetic energy and its significance in high-speed physics.
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Physicists, students of theoretical physics, and anyone interested in the fundamental laws governing motion and energy in the universe.

  • #31
mfb said:
4200 parsecs away is still within our galaxy, where expansion does not happen.

OOPS. My bad. Thanks for that correction. I can add, but I can't multiply :smile:


We can see objects 4,200 Mpc away, but only in a state how they looked like several billion years ago. The border where we will never be able to see their current state is somewhere at this distance. They don't freeze in spacetime, but our view on them will freeze.

Hm ... I don't follow. How does our view of them freeze? Wouldn't they just fade into darkness with greater and greater redshift?
 
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  • #32
I would expect them to freeze and redshift into darkness because;

Well for conservation of information i would expect them to act like an object falling into the black holes event horizon. Otherwise, that would raise many questions. Like Stephen Hawking did back then
 
  • #33
phinds said:
Hm ... I don't follow. How does our view of them freeze? Wouldn't they just fade into darkness with greater and greater redshift?
Into darkness, but also into slower evolution (as seen by us) due to the redshift. The effect is very similar to objects falling into black holes (as seen by outside observers), just on a completely different timescale.
 
  • #34
mfb said:
Into darkness, but also into slower evolution (as seen by us) due to the redshift. The effect is very similar to objects falling into black holes (as seen by outside observers), just on a completely different timescale.

OK, that I understand. I think the fading to darkness would occur before the "freezing" got too severe, but I guess you could say that depends on the sensitivity of the instruments "seeing" the objects.
 
  • #35
henrywang said:
If a a object is falling in a gravity field with infinitly long radius. can it eventually travel faster than the speed of light?

No, the coordinate speed of a test probe falling from infinity is:

v=c(1-\frac{r_s}{r}) \sqrt{\frac{r_s}{r}} for r>r_s

where r_s is the Schwarzschild radius of the "attracting" gravitational mass and r is the radial Schwarzschild coordinate. So, v<c for all r>r_s.

If the test probe is dropped from r_0 the formula becomes:

v=c(1-\frac{r_s}{r}) \sqrt{\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_0}} for r_0>r>r_s

For light, the coordinate speed is:

v=c(1-\frac{r_s}{r})
 
Last edited:

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