Travel Faster Than Light: Going Back in Time?

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In summary, the conversation revolves around the concept of traveling faster than the speed of light and its implications on time and being able to see into the past or future. While some suggest that it may be possible through objects with negative mass or theoretical particles like tachyons, others caution against delving too far into speculation without solid scientific evidence. Ultimately, it is argued that imagination is important in pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery, but it should be tempered with evidence and facts.
  • #1
GomezMan91
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If you were to travel away from an object at a speed greater than light, would you begin to see that object go back in time? The way I have come to see it is that as you move away from an object at a speed greater than light, then you are eventually able to reach or pass light that was reflected from the object at an earlier time.
Any feedback on the subject would be most greatly appreciated as I am always eager to learn new things.
 
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  • #2
We are already seeing into the past. If I were to photograph an object 100,000 light years from earth, I'm seeint it as it was 100,000 years ago.

ANYWAY, I think you would just see its redshift.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift
 
  • #3
GomezMan91 said:
If you were to travel away from an object at a speed greater than light.
You cannot do this.

Which is why there's no paradox.
 
  • #4
DaveC426913 said:
You cannot do this.

Which is why there's no paradox.

oh come on. Use you imagination?:wink:
 
  • #5
I believe that you may be able to 'look' back in time, because of the reflected light, but the actual object that is going faster than light, would not actually go back in time, as time would still be moving forward around the object, not going backwards. But, if I am right (doubtful), this would raise the question of, 'What happens when you stop moving?' Would you in fact, be at that time that you were viewing, or would land in you own time again? It might be arguable that as you slow down again, time might go forwards and as you slow down you will get closer to the time you started moving.
 
  • #6
Thank you all for your insight on the subject

AzonicZeniths said:
'What happens when you stop moving?' Would you in fact, be at that time that you were viewing, or would land in you own time again?

If you were to suddenly stop you'd more than likely die :P. But if you were to stop what I think would happen is that you would start seeing time forward from the moment you stopped. Only if you start traveling towards the object at a speed greater than light would you be able to see into what to you at the time would be the future, but to the object would be the present and past.
 
  • #7
Guys guys guys. This is claptrap. There is only heartbreak and sorrow (and locked threads) down this road.

You cannot travel faster than c. No object with mass can.

This is not merely quibbling. This is critical. To "use your imagination" to pretend that you can will generate all manner of silly, spurious paradoxes. "you'd see unicorns and elves"is as valid as any other answer.
 
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  • #8
DaveC426913 said:
Guys guys guys. This is claptrap. There is only heartbreak and sorrow (and locked threads) down this road.

You cannot travel faster than c. No object with mass can.

This is not merely quibbling. This is critical. To "use your imagination" to pretend that you can will generate all manner of silly, spurious paradoxes. "you'd see unicorns and elves"is as valid as any other answer.


Tachyons?
 
  • #9
DaveC426913 said:
Guys guys guys. This is claptrap. There is only heartbreak and sorrow (and locked threads) down this road.

You cannot travel faster than c. No object with mass can.

This is not merely quibbling. This is critical. To "use your imagination" to pretend that you can will generate all manner of silly, spurious paradoxes. "you'd see unicorns and elves"is as valid as any other answer.

Alright, since no object with 'mass' can go faster than light, let's bring in an object with a mass less than 0. Monatomic metals. These metals, when brought to a monatomic state, can potentially weigh less than zero, if heated/cooled to a certain temperature (unique to the metal), thus, having no detectable mass.
 
  • #10
GomezMan91 said:
Only if you start traveling towards the object at a speed greater than light would you be able to see into what to you at the time would be the future
You mean the past right?

But, if you went faster than light away from an object, then looked back, would you see into the future?
 
  • #11
AzonicZeniths said:
Alright, since no object with 'mass' can go faster than light, let's bring in an object with a mass less than 0. Monatomic metals. These metals, when brought to a monatomic state, can potentially weigh less than zero, if heated/cooled to a certain temperature (unique to the metal), thus, having no detectable mass.
Show me.
 
  • #12
DaveC426913 said:
Show me.
Well, I don't have enough posts to post URL's...so I will make 2 posts really quick.
 
  • #13
Tachyons are an excellent example of faster than light particles, and although being merely theoretical (for now), the future can undoubtedly bring things that we do not foresee now.
DaveC426913 said:
This is not merely quibbling. This is critical. To "use your imagination" to pretend that you can will generate all manner of silly, spurious paradoxes. "you'd see unicorns and elves"is as valid as any other answer.
If we don't imagine the impossible we can't accomplish the impossible. Imagination is one of our greatest gifts. Also a lot of current scientific material would have seemed "impossible" to many great scientists from hundreds of years back.
 
  • #14
GomezMan91 said:
If we don't imagine the impossible we can't accomplish the impossible. Imagination is one of our greatest gifts.
Yes. Absolutely. There's an Imagination Forum down the street.
 
  • #15
I'm locking this thread until one of the Physics mentors get a chance to look into it. In the meantime, perhaps we could all take this opportunity to have a read through the PF Guidelines, particularly the part on overly speculative posts.
 

What is faster than light travel and how does it work?

Faster than light travel, also known as superluminal travel, is a theoretical concept in which an object or person can move faster than the speed of light. This would require breaking the laws of physics as we currently understand them, as the speed of light is considered to be the universal speed limit. Theories for how this could potentially be achieved include wormholes, warp drives, and tachyons.

Can faster than light travel allow us to go back in time?

The concept of going back in time through faster than light travel is a popular trope in science fiction, but it is not currently supported by scientific evidence. According to the theory of relativity, traveling faster than the speed of light would result in time dilation, meaning time would slow down for the traveler. However, this would not allow them to travel back in time. In order to go back in time, we would need to find a way to exceed the speed of light without experiencing time dilation.

What are the potential consequences of traveling faster than light?

One potential consequence of faster than light travel is that it could lead to paradoxes, such as the grandfather paradox. This is the idea that if you were to go back in time and prevent your own birth, you would create a paradox because then you wouldn't exist to go back in time in the first place. Other consequences could include disrupting the fabric of space-time and causing unpredictable changes to the past, present, and future.

Is faster than light travel possible?

At this point in time, faster than light travel is not considered possible according to our current understanding of physics. While there are theories and ideas that could potentially lead to faster than light travel, they are still purely speculative and have not been proven or tested. Scientists continue to research and explore the possibilities, but for now, faster than light travel remains in the realm of science fiction.

What advancements in technology would be necessary for faster than light travel?

In order for faster than light travel to become a reality, we would need to make major advancements in several areas of technology. This would include developing new propulsion systems, finding ways to manipulate space and time, and creating protective shields to withstand the intense forces and radiation that would be encountered while traveling at such high speeds. Additionally, we would need a much deeper understanding of the laws of physics and how the universe works in order to overcome the current limitations that prevent faster than light travel.

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