How would moving at the speed of light be perceived?

In summary, the conversation discusses the relationship between an object's speed through space and its movement through time. It is not possible for an object to travel at the speed of light and stop moving through time. The concept of time for an object traveling several light years at such a speed is not defined.
  • #1
hewiiitt-
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As I understand it an object moves through time and space and the faster it moves through space the slower it moves through time. So say somehow an object was accelerated to the speed of light (I know this isn't possible) it would theoretically stop moving through time but my question is that if the object was centient and was normally aware of the concept of time what would it experience if it was to travel several light years. Would it seem to the object that it has moved the several light years instantly or would it have a concept of time passed.
 
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  • #2
hewiiitt- said:
So say somehow an object was accelerated to the speed of light (I know this isn't possible)
Because it's not possible, you're basically asking "How do the laws physics work under conditions under which they don't work?". There's no reasonable answer to that sort of question, so this thread is closed.

It would theoretically stop moving through time
Not even theoretically - for that to be true there would have to be some theory under which the object can move at the speed of light and would stop moving through time, and there is no such theory. (You may be misled into thinking otherwise by setting ##v## equal to ##c## in some of the equations of special relativity - but those equations are derived from assumptions that are equivalent to saying that ##v## is never equal to ##c##).
 

1. What is the speed of light and why is it important?

The speed of light, denoted by the symbol c, is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. It is considered to be the fastest possible speed in the universe and is a fundamental constant in physics. It plays a crucial role in many theories and equations, such as Einstein's theory of relativity, and is the speed at which all electromagnetic radiation (including light) travels.

2. How does the perception of time change when traveling at the speed of light?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time is relative and can be affected by the speed and gravity of an object. At the speed of light, time would appear to stand still for the person traveling, while time would continue to pass normally for observers outside of the moving object. This phenomenon is known as time dilation.

3. What would happen to an object's mass if it were able to travel at the speed of light?

As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass would increase significantly. This is due to the fact that as an object's speed increases, so does its energy. Since mass and energy are equivalent, the object's mass would increase as well. However, it would require an infinite amount of energy for an object to reach the speed of light, so it is not possible for an object with mass to actually reach this speed.

4. Is it possible for a human to perceive traveling at the speed of light?

No, it is not possible for a human to perceive traveling at the speed of light. As mentioned before, it would require an infinite amount of energy to reach this speed, which is not possible for a human to generate. Additionally, the effects of time dilation and mass increase would make it impossible for a human to survive traveling at this speed.

5. How is light perceived differently when traveling at the speed of light?

Since light travels at the speed of light, it would not be perceived any differently for an observer traveling at this speed. However, for an outside observer, light would appear to be frozen in space, as time would appear to stand still for the object traveling at the speed of light. Additionally, the wavelength of light would appear to decrease, resulting in a shift towards the blue end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

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