Sending information faster than speed of light?

In summary, two friends who are 2 lightseconds away from each other are able to communicate by shining red and green lights at each other. If one of them lies and says they saw a red light when they actually saw a green light, the other side can still communicate by knowing the pattern of light output. However, if the two friends create a machine that is as accurate as possible in communicating information, then the information transmitted would be more reliable.
  • #1
howabout1337
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Say I am in the middle of two people that are 2 lightseconds (we'll call this unit a distance that speed travels in 1 second) away from me. They are 4 lightseconds away from each other. So these two guys are my friends, and before they moved to 2 lightseconds away from me, I told them, if I am shining a red light at one of you, that means I am shining a green light at the other person.

They tell me OK, and they move 2 lightseconds away from me. So I shine a red light at one of them, and a green light at the other. So the guy that sees the green light says "hey! the guy that is 4 lightseconds away from me is seeing the red light, and I only know this in 2 seconds!" VOILA! information have just traveled faster than the speed of light
 
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  • #2
Come on. We all know the information came to him from 2ls away and took 2s.

Of course, you could have lied, in which case it is disinformation.
 
  • #3
howabout1337 said:
So the guy that sees the green light says "hey! the guy that is 4 lightseconds away from me is seeing the red light, and I only know this in 2 seconds!" VOILA! information have just traveled faster than the speed of light
Correlation is not information. No information was sent 4 lightseconds. I.e. there is no way for the person at one end to use this method to encode a message to the person at the other end.
 
  • #4
aha! I set you guys up! I knew you were going to answer that.

Now to my next question. Whenever we receive information, how do we know that the information might not have changed regardless? maybe the light 10 billion lightyears away that we are just getting now might actually be a monster, that turns into light at some point that it crosses through the universe. After all, entropy says everything is possible, just the matter of chance, how often it is going to occur.

Yea of course I am a person, and I can lie, and they will never know. Now, what if the two guys make a machine, that is maybe as accurate as any information can be. That when one side of the machine sends out a green light, the other side would send out a red one.

How much more reliable are information from "nature" than information from something that can make choices? How do we know our "detectors" are not lying to us, and we might be getting false information?
 
  • #5
DaleSpam said:
Correlation is not information. No information was sent 4 lightseconds. I.e. there is no way for the person at one end to use this method to encode a message to the person at the other end.

Oh man, so they can't communicate. Communication = information. Alright I get it, thanks.
 
  • #6
howabout1337 said:
After all, entropy says everything is possible, just the matter of chance, how often it is going to occur.
This interpretation of entropy is news to me. I thought that even when entropy is considered, things still had to obey the laws of physics.

Yea of course I am a person, and I can lie, and they will never know.
It's always possible, of course, that what we think is a galaxy 13 billion light years away is just some joker holding up a picture of one.
 
  • #7
Bill_K said:
This interpretation of entropy is news to me. I thought that even when entropy is considered, things still had to obey the laws of physics.

Bill_K I cracked up when I read this...I'm sure this "interpretation" of entropy is general in nature, and assumes the laws of physics do apply to the phrase "everything is possible", nearly to the point of your retort...why wouldn't they?

Bill_K said:
It's always possible, of course, that what we think is a galaxy 13 billion light years away is just some joker holding up a picture of one.

And from a causality perspective it makes no difference if it is, presently.
 
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  • #8
howabout1337 said:
Oh man, so they can't communicate. Communication = information. Alright I get it, thanks.

This thread lead me to read about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_information...wow physics is a ridiculously deep subject. Anyways, I suppose what you're suggesting is a "field" of physics. I can't understand it in the slightest :tongue2:
 

1. Can information really be sent faster than the speed of light?

According to current scientific understanding, no. The speed of light, which is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second, is considered to be the fastest speed at which anything can travel in the universe. This is due to the fundamental laws of physics, specifically Einstein's theory of relativity.

2. Is it possible to break the speed of light barrier?

There have been theories and experiments conducted on the possibility of breaking the speed of light barrier, but so far, no conclusive evidence has been found. Theories such as wormholes and warp drives suggest that it may be possible, but these are still purely theoretical and have not been proven.

3. How does the speed of light affect communication in space?

The speed of light has a significant impact on communication in space. Due to its finite speed, it takes time for information to travel from one point to another. This means that communication between objects in space can experience significant delays, which is why there is a need for long-range communication systems and satellites to relay information.

4. What are the implications of sending information faster than the speed of light?

If it were possible to send information faster than the speed of light, it would fundamentally change our understanding of the laws of physics and the universe. It could potentially allow for time travel and instant communication over vast distances, but it could also lead to paradoxes and disrupt the fabric of space-time.

5. Are there any ongoing research or experiments on sending information faster than the speed of light?

There are ongoing research and experiments in the field of quantum mechanics and particle physics that aim to understand the nature of space and time, which could potentially lead to breakthroughs in faster-than-light communication. However, it is still a highly speculative and theoretical area of study, and it is not yet clear if it will ever be possible to send information faster than the speed of light.

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