Will Headlights Work If My Car Travels Near the Speed of Light?

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If a car could travel at the speed of light, the question of whether the headlights would work becomes moot, as physics dictates that nothing can reach that speed. However, if the car travels very close to the speed of light, the headlights would still function normally. From the perspective of the car and its systems, it remains stationary while the road moves away. Therefore, the operation of the headlights is unaffected by the car's high speed. Ultimately, the laws of physics prevent travel at light speed, making the original question unanswerable.
gary350
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If my car can travel the speed of light will the head lights still work?
 
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gary350 said:
If my car can travel the speed of light will the head lights still work?
It's impossible to answer that question because we'd have to use the laws of physics to work out the answer, and if the laws of physics are right then nothing can travel at the speed of light. So either those laws are wrong, in which case we can't trust them to answer your question; or they are right, in which case they can't be applied.

There is a similar question that does make sense though: If you car is traveling at a speed very close to the speed of light (not "at the speed of light") down the road, will the headlights still work? Yes. As far as the car, the driver, the headlights, the car's electrical system are concerned, the car is sitting still while the road underneath it is moving backwards; and there's no reason why that should affect the operation of the headlights.
 
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