Can wormholes make you travel faster then c

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of wormholes and their potential implications for faster-than-light travel and time travel. Participants explore theoretical aspects of wormholes, their classification within physics, and the conditions under which they might operate, without reaching definitive conclusions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether traveling through a wormhole could allow for faster-than-light travel and time travel, emphasizing the need for a non-technical explanation.
  • Another participant explains that while one can arrive at a destination faster than light via a wormhole, their velocity relative to nearby objects would still be less than the speed of light, highlighting the complexity of defining speed in relativity.
  • A participant suggests that wormholes are purely theoretical, implying that if one were to travel through a wormhole, anything could be possible.
  • There is a discussion about the classification of wormholes within astrophysics, with some participants noting that while wormholes are described by general relativity, they are not necessarily governed by it, as other theories also allow for their existence.
  • Another participant points out that the rules governing the outcomes of traveling through a wormhole remain uncertain and open to interpretation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the nature of wormholes, their implications for faster-than-light travel, and their classification within physics. There is no consensus on these topics, and multiple competing perspectives are presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the theoretical nature of wormholes and the limitations of current understanding, particularly regarding the absence of natural processes that could create them.

mat1101
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I am in grade 8 so please no gradute equations
I would like to know if going through a wormhole (and survied) would you have travel faster then the speed of light creating possible time travel
 
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mat1101 said:
I am in grade 8 so please no gradute equations
I would like to know if going through a wormhole (and survied) would you have travel faster then the speed of light
There is no unambiguous way to answer this question. In relativity, you can only define velocity on small distance scales. For example, there is no well-defined way to say whether a distant galaxy has a certain speed relative to our galaxy. You can say it's moving away from us, but if you like you can also say that the space between us is just expanding.

If you go through the wormhole and observe your velocity relative to nearby objects that you're passing by (i.e., you confine yourself to small distance scales), then you will find that your velocity is always less than c. On the other hand, you can arrive at your destination earlier than a beam of light that got there without going through the wormhole.

A simple example is an expanding universe that is closed, i.e., that wraps around on itself in a circle. This is like a balloon being blown up. You can walk to school in the morning and get there much faster than a ray of light that was emitted from your house and wrapped around the universe before finally arriving at your school. Does that mean you went faster than light? Well, it depends on what you mean by faster than light.

mat1101 said:
creating possible time travel
Yes, any wormhole is definitely a potential time machine. There is a good discussion of this in the final chapter of this book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393312763/?tag=pfamazon01-20 , which you can look at using Amazon's "look inside" feature.
 
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Wormhole is so theory that I guess if you travel into one, anything is possible.
 
thanks
also kind of a dumb question but can worm holes be classified under astro physics?
 
gtwace said:
Wormhole is so theory that I guess if you travel into one, anything is possible.
No, wormholes are described by general relativity.

mat1101 said:
thanks
also kind of a dumb question but can worm holes be classified under astro physics?
There aren't really sharply defined boundaries. Many astrophysicists use general relativity intensively, so they would have the skills needed to work on wormholes. But most astrophysicists are focused on describing and predicting naturally occurring phenomena, whereas there is not believed to be any natural process that could make a wormhole.
 
Wormhole is allowed by general relativity, but doesn't mean it is governed by it, cos there are other theories that allow wormholes. The rules of where you will end up after traveling through a wormhole is pretty open right now.
 

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