Why does light always travel at c relative to any observer?

[binbots]

I have always been confused about this. On here people constantly talk about traveling in a spaceship that goes .5c, or.9999c etc. But how can this be, no matter how fast one travels light will always travel at c compared to your reference frame. Does this not mean that no matter how fast you travel your speed will always equal 0 compared to light?

 

[russ_watters]

You are correct. So the speed of a spaceship (or anything else, for that matter) is never measured with respect to the speed of light, it is always measured relative to stationary objects.

 

[Calimero]

I don't think so. Your speed equals 300000 km/s compared to light.

Edit: Sorry binbots, I didn't understood your question. Russ is right.

 

[Doc Al]

I have always been confused about this. On here people constantly talk about traveling in a spaceship that goes .5c, or.9999c etc. But how can this be, no matter how fast one travels light will always travel at c compared to your reference frame. Does this not mean that no matter how fast you travel your speed will always equal 0 compared to light?

When people talk about a spaceship traveling at 0.5c or 0.9999c, they mean with respect to some other frame (say the earth). In that frame you are traveling at 0.5c or 0.9999c and light, of course, is traveling at c.

In your frame you are at rest and light travels at speed c with respect to you.