Exploring Physics: Faster-than-Light Phenomenon

In summary, the Wikipedia article states that faster-than-light travel is not possible using known physics.
  • #1
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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  • #3
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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  • #4
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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  • #5
Isaac0427 said:
The dot on the laser pointer he mentioned is not a particle or object [...]

That depends on the definition of "object".
 
  • #6
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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  • #7
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.
 
  • #8
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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  • #9
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.
 
  • #10
FTL travel isn't possible according to known physics, which is the only kind we discuss here at PF. Thread locked.
 

1. What is the faster-than-light phenomenon in physics?

The faster-than-light phenomenon, also known as superluminal motion, refers to the hypothetical ability of an object to travel faster than the speed of light, which is considered to be the maximum speed in the universe.

2. Is faster-than-light travel possible?

According to our current understanding of physics, faster-than-light travel is not possible. The theory of relativity, which has been extensively tested and verified, states that the speed of light is the absolute limit for the speed of any object in the universe.

3. What are some proposed theories for faster-than-light travel?

Some scientists have proposed theories such as warp drive, wormholes, and quantum tunneling as potential ways to achieve faster-than-light travel. However, these theories are still purely speculative and have not been proven to be feasible.

4. Can particles travel faster than light?

No, particles cannot travel faster than light. According to the theory of relativity, as an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases infinitely and it would require an infinite amount of energy to accelerate it to the speed of light. Therefore, it is impossible for particles to travel faster than light.

5. What are the implications of faster-than-light travel?

If faster-than-light travel were possible, it would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and our current laws of physics. It could potentially allow us to travel to distant galaxies in a shorter amount of time, but it would also require us to rethink our fundamental understanding of space, time, and causality.

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