Speed of light as an impossibility

In summary, despite the theory of relativity stating that reaching the speed of light is impossible, scientists continue to discuss the possibility of achieving such speeds through methods like warp drive. However, there have been no modifications to the theory to allow for this and most scientists are not actively working on such concepts. The Alcubierre drive is a hypothetical concept that manipulates the topology of spacetime and does not involve breaking the speed of light. Additionally, while mathematics can help explain the physical world, it may not always have a direct application and requires interpretation by scientists.
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Vals509
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why is it that despite that relativity says that you cannot reach the speed of light scientists are still discussing the possiblity of reaching such a speed. have they modified the theory to reach the speed or is it something else?
 
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  • #2
Which scientists and where are they discussing it?
 
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i was referring to scientists in general. its just that i have read some articles on reaching the speed of light like warp drive and other FTL methods
 
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Can you give us their names, then? Where are you reading this?
 
  • #5
Watch more discovery channel.
 
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Vals509 said:
i was referring to scientists in general. its just that i have read some articles on reaching the speed of light like warp drive and other FTL methods
Warp drive is not FTL. It is about taking a shortcut; it is not about going fast.

You will have to be more specific about "other FTL methods".
 
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actually what a warp drive does, in a nutshell, is that it creates a bubble by deforming the space-time so that the distances are (much much much much) shorter - within the bubble you would still travel at speed less than c and you would actually be in a state of free fall thus dealing with a potential problem of inertia dampening <- it'd be quite ingenious if we could pull it off

read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive
 
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Vals509 said:
why is it that despite that relativity says that you cannot reach the speed of light scientists are still discussing the possiblity of reaching such a speed. have they modified the theory to reach the speed or is it something else?

Short answer: No. To all of that. No modifications allow for such a thing. Also, no real scientists are working on such a thing. Hypothetical space travel, like warp, etc. have nothing to do with approaching/exceeding the speed of light, they have more to do with the topology of spacetime.
 
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If we could get the Alcubierre drive to work, would there be any time dilation effects?
 
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You can read about the Alcubierre drive in Wikipedia at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive


Keep in mind that while SOME of mathematics applies to the physical world, much of it does NOT. A big piece of science is figuring out what mathematical formulations might apply to the real world...how to solve those...and when something unexpectedly pops out, how to interpret the result.

The expansion of the universe was rather plainly a result of Einsteins general relativity, yet he missed that physical interpretation...he refused to believe it...Similarly many formulation results explained aspects of black holes and appeared for years before leading scientists understood what they were looking at...Kip Thorne has some fascinating explanations of the latter in BLACK HOLES AND TIME WARPS
 

What is the speed of light?

The speed of light is a fundamental physical constant that represents the maximum speed at which all matter and information in the universe can travel. It is commonly denoted as "c" and has a value of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum.

Why is the speed of light considered an impossibility?

The speed of light is considered an impossibility because it is the fastest known speed in the universe and it cannot be exceeded by any object or form of energy. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, as an object's speed approaches the speed of light, its mass increases and it requires an infinite amount of energy to accelerate further. This makes it physically impossible to reach or surpass the speed of light.

What evidence supports the idea that the speed of light is impossible to exceed?

One of the main pieces of evidence supporting the impossibility of exceeding the speed of light is the fact that all experiments and observations conducted so far have confirmed that the speed of light is a constant and cannot be exceeded. Additionally, the theory of relativity, which has been extensively tested and proven, also supports this idea.

Is the speed of light the same everywhere in the universe?

Yes, the speed of light is the same everywhere in the universe. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the speed of light is a universal constant and does not change regardless of the observer's frame of reference or the velocity of the source of light. This means that the speed of light is always the same, whether you are on Earth, in outer space, or on a distant planet.

Can anything travel faster than the speed of light?

No, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. As mentioned before, according to the theory of relativity, an object's mass increases infinitely as it approaches the speed of light. This makes it impossible for anything to accelerate to or exceed the speed of light without breaking the laws of physics.

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