Can Anything Achieve a 'Break-Through' Velocity That No Force Can Slow Down?

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Vectory
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Velocity
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of a 'break-through' velocity, exploring whether anything can achieve a speed that no external forces can slow down. It touches on themes of momentum, thermodynamics, and the nature of closed versus open systems, as well as the implications of these ideas in the context of the solar system and the universe.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the possibility of achieving a 'break-through' velocity, pondering if objects can only move as fast as the forces acting upon them allow.
  • Another participant discusses the law of conservation of momentum in closed systems, suggesting that the solar system might be considered closed due to the constant momentum of its planets.
  • This participant also raises the idea of open systems, like Earth, where external forces can influence motion, and speculates about the potential for objects to achieve such high velocities that they would not be slowed by collisions with matter in space.
  • In contrast, one participant dismisses the initial premise as nonsense, indicating a disagreement with the understanding of thermodynamics and momentum conservation.
  • Another participant echoes this sentiment, asserting that the scenario described is not possible and points out misconceptions in the original questions posed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express significant disagreement, particularly regarding the understanding of momentum and thermodynamics. There is no consensus on the feasibility of achieving a 'break-through' velocity.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding thermodynamic principles and the nature of closed versus open systems, but these points remain unresolved within the discussion.

Vectory
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
What is the likelihood of anything gaining enough momentum that no other outside forces could ever slow it down any more than this 'break-through' velocity even if they are what accelerated it? Can things only possibly move as fast as how much power the forces that act upon them have? Will things that forces move always be governed by them too? Would love to hear some wise insight from the forum.
 
Physics news on Phys.org


Does anybody have any thoughts about this idea? According to thermodynamics the law of conservation of momentum only applies to closed systems in which the amount of particles and their momentum is always constant because matter cannot be exchanged through its 'boundary' into the surroundings and only external forces can change the velocity of the objects in such a system. Can we safely assume then that the solar system is closed because the momentum of the planets and all that revolves around them together around the sun stays the same and neither do they travel further away enough from the center of mass to go outside the systems parameters or 'boundaries' or is some kind of inverted system where it is open and matter can enter it from outside but the matter inside cannot go out of its periphery? But if we think outside of closed systems and open ones like the planet earth, where external forces can act upon things in space (which will either accelerate or decelerate them) such as the whole universe which is isolated because a system with no outside environment certainly cannot interact beyond its boundary physically, then could there be any with so much potential energy that when converted into kinetic something could have so much velocity that even colliding with space matter would not ever slow down its momentum? They say the expanding universe is actually stretching like a rubber band, could this slingshot our world into motion forever despite otherwise influences?
 
Last edited:


This is nonsense. Including your misconception of thermodynamics and the conservation of momentum.
 


Vectory said:
What is the likelihood of anything gaining enough momentum that no other outside forces could ever slow it down any more than this 'break-through' velocity even if they are what accelerated it?
This never happens, and the wording of your questions show that you have misconceptions about forces and momentum.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
1K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K