- #1
MiLara
- 15
- 0
I know there is a modern paradigm that states that nothing, including information, can travel faster than the speed of light. (With exception to quantum entanglement, but I'm not going to pretend like I know the exact details of that subject).
Thought experiment.
Imagine there are a series of gears in a row that span a much greater length than 3*10^8 meters. Now let's say you turn the gear at the beginning and it sets off a reaction to the other gears down line from the beginning. Could the last gear turn "instantaneously" or much under 1 second after the first gear is turned? Would this then be considered information being conveyed at faster than the speed of light? What are the limitations of such a device, and how much would friction or any other factors play a roll in the time delay from the first gear turning to the last.
Now let's imagine a really long pole that is much longer that 3*10^8 meters. If you were to all of a sudden push that pole perfectly straight forward from one end, it seems like the other end would move at that exact moment because it is a rigid body. Would this be considered sending information faster than the speed of light, or even sending information instantaneously?
Now, I'm sure I'm not clever enough to have created such an simple device that seems to defy the laws of physics, and to that end, I'd love for someone to tell me what I am missing.
Thought experiment.
Imagine there are a series of gears in a row that span a much greater length than 3*10^8 meters. Now let's say you turn the gear at the beginning and it sets off a reaction to the other gears down line from the beginning. Could the last gear turn "instantaneously" or much under 1 second after the first gear is turned? Would this then be considered information being conveyed at faster than the speed of light? What are the limitations of such a device, and how much would friction or any other factors play a roll in the time delay from the first gear turning to the last.
Now let's imagine a really long pole that is much longer that 3*10^8 meters. If you were to all of a sudden push that pole perfectly straight forward from one end, it seems like the other end would move at that exact moment because it is a rigid body. Would this be considered sending information faster than the speed of light, or even sending information instantaneously?
Now, I'm sure I'm not clever enough to have created such an simple device that seems to defy the laws of physics, and to that end, I'd love for someone to tell me what I am missing.