Can Faster-than-Light Travel Ever Be Possible?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, exploring its feasibility within the framework of known physics. Participants examine various interpretations of speed, signal transmission, and the definitions of objects in the context of FTL claims.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that FTL travel is not possible according to known physics, emphasizing that the speed of light limit applies to signal speed and real objects.
  • One participant highlights that while a laser pointer's dot can appear to move faster than light, this does not constitute the transmission of information or a real object's speed.
  • There is a discussion about the definition of "object," with some arguing that it should refer to something made up of particles, while others challenge this definition by citing examples like black holes.
  • Participants express differing views on the implications of definitions and the complexity of the discussion, with some advocating for simplicity and others cautioning against imprecise terms.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the definitions and implications surrounding FTL travel and the nature of objects, with no consensus reached on these points.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes unresolved issues regarding the definitions of terms like "object" and the implications of speed measurements, which may affect the clarity of arguments presented.

Arthurwerbrouck
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Hello i love physics and would love to learn more about it.
I stumbeld upon a wikipedia page called faster then the speed of light
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light
And if you look at 3.1 it seems to be prooven
Could someone with knowledge of the topic explain this to me and tell me al about it
Thx in advance
 
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Arthurwerbrouck said:
And if you look at 3.1 it seems to be prooven
No.
The first question is "what type of velocity do we measure?". Take a laser pointer, point at the moon and rotate it fast enough: the dot of the pointer can easily "move" from one side to the moon at a speed faster than the speed of light. That is not the speed of any real object, however, and it cannot be used to transmit information from one side of the moon to the other at this speed.

The true limit applies to signal speed: how fast can an event at place A influence an event at place B? None of the experiments discussed there found superluminal effects here.
Arthurwerbrouck said:
Just nonsense.
 
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Welcome to PF!
mfb said:
No.
The first question is "what type of velocity do we measure?". Take a laser pointer, point at the moon and rotate it fast enough: the dot of the pointer can easily "move" from one side to the moon at a speed faster than the speed of light. That is not the speed of any real object, however, and it cannot be used to transmit information from one side of the moon to the other at this speed.

The true limit applies to signal speed: how fast can an event at place A influence an event at place B? None of the experiments discussed there found superluminal effects here.
Just to expand on what mfb said, the limit of the speed of light applies to particles and mechanical disturbances (there is actually really good information about this on the FAQs, I believe under relativity). The dot on the laser pointer he mentioned is not a particle or object because it is an effect of the photons constantly traveling from the pointer to the moon, and those photons are effected by the speed of light limit.
 
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Isaac0427 said:
The dot on the laser pointer he mentioned is not a particle or object [...]

That depends on the definition of "object".
 
DrStupid said:
That depends on the definition of "object".
Object meaning something made up of one or more particles, and we should not make this more complicated than it needs to be. I understand that it is not a perfect definition but it should do for this situation.
 
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Isaac0427 said:
Object meaning something made up of one or more particles

That would mean that a black hole is not an object because it is made up of space time only.
And it would mean that a dot on a crt-display is an object because it is made up of electrons and a fluorescent substance. And yes, I know that this also depends on the definition of "made up of".

Isaac0427 said:
and we should not make this more complicated than it needs to be.

Than we should avoid imprecise terms.
 
Isaac0427 said:
Object meaning something made up of one or more particles, and we should not make this more complicated than it needs to be. I understand that it is not a perfect definition but it should do for this situation.
Good show! If an explanation ain't broke making it more complicated won't fix it. :wink:
 
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DrStupid said:
That would mean that a black hole is not an object because it is made up of space time only.
And it would mean that a dot on a crt-display is an object because it is made up of electrons and a fluorescent substance. And yes, I know that this also depends on the definition of "made up of".
Than we should avoid imprecise terms.
I'm sorry for my improper terminology, however I believe the OP gets what I mean. As I said, it is not a perfect definition, but it should do for this situation.
 
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FTL travel isn't possible according to known physics, which is the only kind we discuss here at PF. Thread locked.
 

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