- #1
Scott444
- 21
- 0
Hi, Please not too many sighs but I'm stuck with this my miracle realisation - the scenario is -
I'm in a rocket (tons of fuel ) - I blast away (from Earth say) - accelerate hard for ages and by my special onboard inertial calculator I have got to 100 000km/s (with respect to earth). Switch the engines off - coast along do some experiements and see that all as it should be (given I'm in just another frame of reference in a universe that has no absolute frame of reference etc) ..maybe look at the Earth and see slow clocks. Take a nap - and do it again - and again - and again - and then so by my reckoning I'm doing 400 000km/s (and there is no great hand of god slowing me at this speed as he says no mister not allowed ...right?) and then repeat it all ten times so I'm doing 4 000 000km/s - stay at that speed for some years (50 say).
And then slow down to the speed of some conveniently moving star - planet system - Eta Carinae shall we say, and get out.
Now have I not then got myself some many light years away from Earth faster than light? There must be some dumb trap here I'm not seeing but I can't see it. Surely it's not about the fuel or something? Since it seems otherwise we're not stuck at less than light speed at all. I mean it may be that by the time that folks on Earth see me arrive at Eta Carinae - a long time has passed on Earth - but that doesn't matter to me.
Thanks very much for any help. :)
Scott.
ps this seem to make the Fermi paradox much worse - why aren't they scooting about then.
I'm in a rocket (tons of fuel ) - I blast away (from Earth say) - accelerate hard for ages and by my special onboard inertial calculator I have got to 100 000km/s (with respect to earth). Switch the engines off - coast along do some experiements and see that all as it should be (given I'm in just another frame of reference in a universe that has no absolute frame of reference etc) ..maybe look at the Earth and see slow clocks. Take a nap - and do it again - and again - and again - and then so by my reckoning I'm doing 400 000km/s (and there is no great hand of god slowing me at this speed as he says no mister not allowed ...right?) and then repeat it all ten times so I'm doing 4 000 000km/s - stay at that speed for some years (50 say).
And then slow down to the speed of some conveniently moving star - planet system - Eta Carinae shall we say, and get out.
Now have I not then got myself some many light years away from Earth faster than light? There must be some dumb trap here I'm not seeing but I can't see it. Surely it's not about the fuel or something? Since it seems otherwise we're not stuck at less than light speed at all. I mean it may be that by the time that folks on Earth see me arrive at Eta Carinae - a long time has passed on Earth - but that doesn't matter to me.
Thanks very much for any help. :)
Scott.
ps this seem to make the Fermi paradox much worse - why aren't they scooting about then.