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Beyond The Speed Of Light
buschmaster
Member Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭
I will show you that nothing can reach the speed of light, that light does travel at the speed of light, what light is, how it functions, the difference between matter and light, and how the concept of "speed" does not literally apply to light, thereby stepping beyond the commonly understood model of "the speed of light" and the implications thereof, hence the title of this topic.
MATTER
all matter has a property called mass. einstein's famous equation shows that something with mass M is equivalent to so much energy E, the relation being of course E=MC^2, where C is the speed of light.
but the equation is actually E=MC^2 divided by the square root of 1-V^2/C.
when an object is at rest or low velocity, that part of the equation is inconsequential. but when the object approaches the speed of light C, the equation shows that the energy E that the mass M consists of, gets tremendously large.
the practical aspect of this is that when you approach the speed of light, some of the energy used to make you go faster yet is soaked up by translation into mass. to whatever is propelling you, it appears that you are getting heavier.
when you are almost at the speed of light, it appears that you are becoming inifinitely heavy. in fact, you are. it requires infinitely more energy to push you faster. therefore you cannot ever reach the speed of light, because that would require infinite energy.
therefore, it is impossible for an object to travel at the speed of light.
LIGHT
light is radiation. radiation is made from energy. I will now show you the mechanism whereby energy is translated into radiation (light).
an electrically charged object has a field of electric potential around it.
when it is in motion, and only when, it also gives off a field of magnetic potential. an example is a wire wrapped around a nail. when you run a current through it, you have magnetism. no current (no motion of electrons) then no magnetism.
when an electrically charged object, such as an electron, is accelerated (not simply in motion), it causes two waves to propagate outwards: an electric wave and a magnetic wave. they are stuck together and travel in the same direction. that is light.
an example of such an oscillator is an electron in an atom that is part of a light bulb filment. it is heated, so it oscillates, and gives off light.
the wave that makes up light radiates in all directions (hence the name "radiation"). WHEN this wavefront going in all directions comes across something it can interact with, THEN the rest of the wave collapses and it is focused on whatever it is acting upon: you have a photon.
this model has been described as like throwing a pop bottle into a lake, the bottle disappears and makes waves, the waves spread out across the water, then when it reaches the other shore a bottle pops back out of the waves and lands on the other side.
in more technical detail, when a quantum of light is originally made, the electrical and magnetic waves I spoke of as being "stuck together" are not originally so; they are both radiating outwards, it is only when the photon materializes at its destination that the two waves are fixed together.
those are the mechanics of light.
THE DIFFERENCE
matter has a property called mass. light has a property called radiation.
indeed, matter is often described as "mass" and light is often described as "radiation".
BEYOND THE SPEED OF LIGHT
since light is not a projectile, it cannot be considered to have "speed" or "velocity". we say it has speed because it takes time to... get to its destination, so of course early scientists assumed a projectile-like nature. but with the model given above, it is shown that the "speed" they calculate is the time it takes for the wavefront to reach its destination. this is an entirely different situation, and where we should take a step back to appraise the implications.
the wavefront of radiation travels at a constant speed, C. never slower, never faster. beyond where it may have traveled by a certain length of time, for all intents and purposes, it does not exist. since, I may remind you, it never travels slower but at a fixed speed, this is not a matter of motion. the fixed speed implies a definition.
the wavefront of radiation is the definition of existence, the boundary of existence of time and space relative to the event that propagated the light.
therefore, relative to a point in space/time, nothing can exist beyond that boundary, not even time and space, and it would be impossible for an object could travel from its initial location to a point beyond any possible existence of any of its components- or, faster than the speed of light.
beyond that is nonexistence.
therfore, I would postulate that the very same mechanism that propagates light is related somehow to the same physical laws that define the framework of time and space within its boundaries.
MATTER
all matter has a property called mass. einstein's famous equation shows that something with mass M is equivalent to so much energy E, the relation being of course E=MC^2, where C is the speed of light.
but the equation is actually E=MC^2 divided by the square root of 1-V^2/C.
when an object is at rest or low velocity, that part of the equation is inconsequential. but when the object approaches the speed of light C, the equation shows that the energy E that the mass M consists of, gets tremendously large.
the practical aspect of this is that when you approach the speed of light, some of the energy used to make you go faster yet is soaked up by translation into mass. to whatever is propelling you, it appears that you are getting heavier.
when you are almost at the speed of light, it appears that you are becoming inifinitely heavy. in fact, you are. it requires infinitely more energy to push you faster. therefore you cannot ever reach the speed of light, because that would require infinite energy.
therefore, it is impossible for an object to travel at the speed of light.
LIGHT
light is radiation. radiation is made from energy. I will now show you the mechanism whereby energy is translated into radiation (light).
an electrically charged object has a field of electric potential around it.
when it is in motion, and only when, it also gives off a field of magnetic potential. an example is a wire wrapped around a nail. when you run a current through it, you have magnetism. no current (no motion of electrons) then no magnetism.
when an electrically charged object, such as an electron, is accelerated (not simply in motion), it causes two waves to propagate outwards: an electric wave and a magnetic wave. they are stuck together and travel in the same direction. that is light.
an example of such an oscillator is an electron in an atom that is part of a light bulb filment. it is heated, so it oscillates, and gives off light.
the wave that makes up light radiates in all directions (hence the name "radiation"). WHEN this wavefront going in all directions comes across something it can interact with, THEN the rest of the wave collapses and it is focused on whatever it is acting upon: you have a photon.
this model has been described as like throwing a pop bottle into a lake, the bottle disappears and makes waves, the waves spread out across the water, then when it reaches the other shore a bottle pops back out of the waves and lands on the other side.
in more technical detail, when a quantum of light is originally made, the electrical and magnetic waves I spoke of as being "stuck together" are not originally so; they are both radiating outwards, it is only when the photon materializes at its destination that the two waves are fixed together.
those are the mechanics of light.
THE DIFFERENCE
matter has a property called mass. light has a property called radiation.
indeed, matter is often described as "mass" and light is often described as "radiation".
BEYOND THE SPEED OF LIGHT
since light is not a projectile, it cannot be considered to have "speed" or "velocity". we say it has speed because it takes time to... get to its destination, so of course early scientists assumed a projectile-like nature. but with the model given above, it is shown that the "speed" they calculate is the time it takes for the wavefront to reach its destination. this is an entirely different situation, and where we should take a step back to appraise the implications.
the wavefront of radiation travels at a constant speed, C. never slower, never faster. beyond where it may have traveled by a certain length of time, for all intents and purposes, it does not exist. since, I may remind you, it never travels slower but at a fixed speed, this is not a matter of motion. the fixed speed implies a definition.
the wavefront of radiation is the definition of existence, the boundary of existence of time and space relative to the event that propagated the light.
therefore, relative to a point in space/time, nothing can exist beyond that boundary, not even time and space, and it would be impossible for an object could travel from its initial location to a point beyond any possible existence of any of its components- or, faster than the speed of light.
beyond that is nonexistence.
therfore, I would postulate that the very same mechanism that propagates light is related somehow to the same physical laws that define the framework of time and space within its boundaries.
Comments
I will show you that nothing can reach the speed of light, that light does travel at the speed of light, what light is, how it functions, the difference between matter and light, and how the concept of "speed" does not literally apply to light, thereby stepping beyond the commonly understood model of "the speed of light" and the implications thereof, hence the title of this topic.
MATTER
all matter has a property called mass. einstein's famous equation shows that something with mass M is equivalent to so much energy E, the relation being of course E=MC^2, where C is the speed of light.
but the equation is actually E=MC^2 divided by the square root of 1-V^2/C.
when an object is at rest or low velocity, that part of the equation is inconsequential. but when the object approaches the speed of light C, the equation shows that the energy E that the mass M consists of, gets tremendously large.
the practical aspect of this is that when you approach the speed of light, some of the energy used to make you go faster yet is soaked up by translation into mass. to whatever is propelling you, it appears that you are getting heavier.
when you are almost at the speed of light, it appears that you are becoming inifinitely heavy. in fact, you are. it requires infinitely more energy to push you faster. therefore you cannot ever reach the speed of light, because that would require infinite energy.
therefore, it is impossible for an object to travel at the speed of light.
LIGHT
light is radiation. radiation is made from energy. I will now show you the mechanism whereby energy is translated into radiation (light).
an electrically charged object has a field of electric potential around it.
when it is in motion, and only when, it also gives off a field of magnetic potential. an example is a wire wrapped around a nail. when you run a current through it, you have magnetism. no current (no motion of electrons) then no magnetism.
when an electrically charged object, such as an electron, is accelerated (not simply in motion), it causes two waves to propagate outwards: an electric wave and a magnetic wave. they are stuck together and travel in the same direction. that is light.
an example of such an oscillator is an electron in an atom that is part of a light bulb filment. it is heated, so it oscillates, and gives off light.
the wave that makes up light radiates in all directions (hence the name "radiation"). WHEN this wavefront going in all directions comes across something it can interact with, THEN the rest of the wave collapses and it is focused on whatever it is acting upon: you have a photon.
this model has been described as like throwing a pop bottle into a lake, the bottle disappears and makes waves, the waves spread out across the water, then when it reaches the other shore a bottle pops back out of the waves and lands on the other side.
in more technical detail, when a quantum of light is originally made, the electrical and magnetic waves I spoke of as being "stuck together" are not originally so; they are both radiating outwards, it is only when the photon materializes at its destination that the two waves are fixed together.
those are the mechanics of light.
THE DIFFERENCE
matter has a property called mass. light has a property called radiation.
indeed, matter is often described as "mass" and light is often described as "radiation".
BEYOND THE SPEED OF LIGHT
since light is not a projectile, it cannot be considered to have "speed" or "velocity". we say it has speed because it takes time to... get to its destination, so of course early scientists assumed a projectile-like nature. but with the model given above, it is shown that the "speed" they calculate is the time it takes for the wavefront to reach its destination. this is an entirely different situation, and where we should take a step back to appraise the implications.
the wavefront of radiation travels at a constant speed, C. never slower, never faster. beyond where it may have traveled by a certain length of time, for all intents and purposes, it does not exist. since, I may remind you, it never travels slower but at a fixed speed, this is not a matter of motion. the fixed speed implies a definition.
the wavefront of radiation is the definition of existence, the boundary of existence of time and space relative to the event that propagated the light.
therefore, relative to a point in space/time, nothing can exist beyond that boundary, not even time and space, and it would be impossible for an object could travel from its initial location to a point beyond any possible existence of any of its components- or, faster than the speed of light.
beyond that is nonexistence.
therfore, I would postulate that the very same mechanism that propagates light is related somehow to the same physical laws that define the framework of time and space within its boundaries.
And this affects my life in what way?
Does this have anything to do with that "Particle vs. Wave" discussion I heard at the bus stop the other day?
NRA Lifetime Benefactor Member.
I don't know? Might be to dark to tell. Maybe if we put some light on it. Here we go again.
if the "big bang" was the origin of the universe, then space is finite. and, that was einstein's equation.
How can light itself travel at the speed of light if it requires infinite amounts of energy as it approaches light speed?
Who says 'light' is the fastest wave front/ radiation? Perhaps there are particles and or two or more things that collide w/ each other that travel what seems faster than light simply cause they can. Then that would be faster than the speed of _________ .
light is not matter.
And this affects my life in what way?
it means you should flip your cheeseburgers before they burn
Does this have anything to do with that "Particle vs. Wave" discussion I heard at the bus stop the other day?
were you the guy with the brown shirt and the A's baseball hat? that's where I got all this information from!
So does this mean there (IS) light at the end of the tunnel?
depends on how long the tunnel is.
What is the speed of Darkness? [:)][:D][8D]
faster than the speed of Light, but Light always wins in the end.
Ah, but what about "string" theory?
Aaaaaaaah! That presents another conundrum! We better ask Stephen Hawking.
JM[?]
Does this have anything to do with that "Particle vs. Wave" discussion I heard at the bus stop the other day?
were you the guy with the brown shirt and the A's baseball hat? that's where I got all this information from!
I told that punk-* bi-atch from Stanford "WAVE, *-F'ER!!"
Ah, but what about "string" theory?
I haven't a clue. it's all good and well that some people continue speculating, but I think when it comes to things like string theory, membrane theory, etc. they're overreaching their already feeble grasp. they need to do some more observation of the basics, things like what I was talking about, to consolidate and verify.
Before Yeager broke the sound barrier, many thought that wasn't possible.
Do you mean that the thought was humans couldn't withstand breaking the sound barrier? The V2 rocket flew at supersonic speeds. I'm pretty sure those pesky Chermans knew it was breaking the sound barrier.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/292378_timeguy15.html
I will show you that nothing can reach the speed of light, that light does travel at the speed of light, what light is, how it functions, the difference between matter and light, and how the concept of "speed" does not literally apply to light, thereby stepping beyond the commonly understood model of "the speed of light" and the implications thereof, hence the title of this topic.
MATTER
all matter has a property called mass. einstein's famous equation shows that something with mass M is equivalent to so much energy E, the relation being of course E=MC^2, where C is the speed of light.
but the equation is actually E=MC^2 divided by the square root of 1-V^2/C.
when an object is at rest or low velocity, that part of the equation is inconsequential. but when the object approaches the speed of light C, the equation shows that the energy E that the mass M consists of, gets tremendously large.
the practical aspect of this is that when you approach the speed of light, some of the energy used to make you go faster yet is soaked up by translation into mass. to whatever is propelling you, it appears that you are getting heavier.
when you are almost at the speed of light, it appears that you are becoming inifinitely heavy. in fact, you are. it requires infinitely more energy to push you faster. therefore you cannot ever reach the speed of light, because that would require infinite energy.
therefore, it is impossible for an object to travel at the speed of light.
LIGHT
light is radiation. radiation is made from energy. I will now show you the mechanism whereby energy is translated into radiation (light).
an electrically charged object has a field of electric potential around it.
when it is in motion, and only when, it also gives off a field of magnetic potential. an example is a wire wrapped around a nail. when you run a current through it, you have magnetism. no current (no motion of electrons) then no magnetism.
when an electrically charged object, such as an electron, is accelerated (not simply in motion), it causes two waves to propagate outwards: an electric wave and a magnetic wave. they are stuck together and travel in the same direction. that is light.
an example of such an oscillator is an electron in an atom that is part of a light bulb filment. it is heated, so it oscillates, and gives off light.
the wave that makes up light radiates in all directions (hence the name "radiation"). WHEN this wavefront going in all directions comes across something it can interact with, THEN the rest of the wave collapses and it is focused on whatever it is acting upon: you have a photon.
this model has been described as like throwing a pop bottle into a lake, the bottle disappears and makes waves, the waves spread out across the water, then when it reaches the other shore a bottle pops back out of the waves and lands on the other side.
in more technical detail, when a quantum of light is originally made, the electrical and magnetic waves I spoke of as being "stuck together" are not originally so; they are both radiating outwards, it is only when the photon materializes at its destination that the two waves are fixed together.
those are the mechanics of light.
THE DIFFERENCE
matter has a property called mass. light has a property called radiation.
indeed, matter is often described as "mass" and light is often described as "radiation".
BEYOND THE SPEED OF LIGHT
since light is not a projectile, it cannot be considered to have "speed" or "velocity". we say it has speed because it takes time to... get to its destination, so of course early scientists assumed a projectile-like nature. but with the model given above, it is shown that the "speed" they calculate is the time it takes for the wavefront to reach its destination. this is an entirely different situation, and where we should take a step back to appraise the implications.
the wavefront of radiation travels at a constant speed, C. never slower, never faster. beyond where it may have traveled by a certain length of time, for all intents and purposes, it does not exist. since, I may remind you, it never travels slower but at a fixed speed, this is not a matter of motion. the fixed speed implies a definition.
the wavefront of radiation is the definition of existence, the boundary of existence of time and space relative to the event that propagated the light.
therefore, relative to a point in space/time, nothing can exist beyond that boundary, not even time and space, and it would be impossible for an object could travel from its initial location to a point beyond any possible existence of any of its components- or, faster than the speed of light.
beyond that is nonexistence.
therfore, I would postulate that the very same mechanism that propagates light is related somehow to the same physical laws that define the framework of time and space within its boundaries.
In red above. And yet as light travels and passes an immensely large body of gravity,(huge planet, star, etc) that light is bent and slowed.
In addition, there have been experiments in which basic elements that were far apart have reacted to each other instantly. Meaning that some sort of effect between the two somehow traveled from one to the other using no time for that travel.
JM
either way, that's how it affects light even though light is not made of matter.
the phenomenon where one particle can affect another particle instantly is something different than how light works and what it does. however, that shows that information can travel faster than "the speed of light", which is an important peice of the puzzle and may show that there is more to the mechanics of light than what we know about.
Some scientists have a theory that if you could put a craft in space, and attached huge, huge "light" sails, you could let the light being emmitted from the Sun (or any light source) and impacting your light sail, be the only thing to propell your craft. IN theory, since the light is propelling your craft, as your craft gains more and more speed, in theory at some point you might reach the same speed as your energy source. The speed of light.
Close, but no cigar. Those same scientists acknowledge the vast oceans of nothingness in space. Move away from proximity to a star and the energy harvested by your sail becomes less and less effective.
As this is happening there comes another acknowledged problem. For each increase in the speed of an object having mass there is a quantum increase in the required amount of energy needed to attain it. The effect is that it becomes more and more important to harvest greater quantities of energy while the ability to do so rapidly decreases. And lest we forget... As we approach the threshold of light speed the energy required to attain such becomes infinite. And I'm not even touching on the slowing of time nor the physical shortening involved as speed increases to a point where where an object becomes nothing at the event horizon.
I understand that a photon is somehow able to transmit energy while having a physical mass of zero and is therefor exempt from the laws governing objects with mass. Since we hold that it's impossible to have a mass of less than zero, we also hold that a photon travels at the maximum speed allowed by the laws of physics. This is something I have no basis to argue as I know of nothing faster than light. But I expect there is.
My feeling is that somewhere within the laws of physics lies something we're presently unaware of. Much as Columbus couldn't have ever imagined a ship like the Ronald Reagan, I suspect we're much the same.
We're smart, but we're not educated. Not on the scale of the universe anyway.
If I were to guess, then I'd have to say that direct travel to even a nearby star system will remain impossible. By direct I mean boarding a conventional starship and heading on out for a several hundred year journey. So... Either man will stay close to home, or he'll discover another way. We'll find something yet unthought of. My guess is that the instantaneous reaction of one object to another (seemingly faster than light speed) is a subtle hint of that which we're presently ignorant.
A prediction from an ignorant fool... If mankind is destined to travel to the stars, then travel to the farthest star must be like moving from one's kitchen to one's dining room. There is simply no other physical solution to the time and distance problem other than to circumvent it. I think we eventually will.
solar sails work off of cosmic wind. which is particles with mass, such as gamma rays, X-rays, etc. cosmic radiation.
it's another explanation to tell how some radiation is particles- but I was saying that light (which is not a particle) is radiation.
the higher the frequency of the radiation, the higher energy, and the more particle-like character it has. such as gamma rays, X-rays, etc.
on the nature of matter, it's my theory that all elementary particles (gluons, quarks, etc which make up protons/electrons/neutrons) are photons of some frequency wrapped up in their own little localize ball of time and so they don't have to travel through "free space" at "the speed of light". hence, a particle.
I believe, Light is matter, how else would it be affected by gravitation?
Good point plus all this is BS, because the speed of light is not constant and our measurement is only "the speed of light in a vacuum"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed-of-light
when it goes through a substance, such as glass, air, water, etc, some photons are absorbed by atoms then retransmitted, often at a different wavelength. the delays between atoms are what might make you think light is traveling slower but it's not.
In theory. Variables not included. "No deposit, no return."
So tell me this, is space infinite or does it fold in on itself or continue and would that variable come back to bite your equasion in the rear?
Even carl sagan said before he passed....so much unknown.
IE> variables.
Anyway im never gonna be able to get my reloads much faster and thats all.
No worries. Im gonna take away all your pencils,pocket protectors,protractors and chalk boards.[:D]
I'll NEVER....,is usualy followed by the insertion of size 13 foot in my mouth...so never say never?
If the universe is expanding, it can not be infinite. It may be too large for US to measure, but not infinite.
light does travel at constant speed.
when it goes through a substance, such as glass, air, water, etc, some photons are absorbed by atoms then retransmitted, often at a different wavelength. the delays between atoms are what might make you think light is traveling slower but it's not.
I posted my source, what is yours?
"The speed of light when it passes through a transparent or translucent material medium, like glass or air, is less than its speed in a vacuum. The ratio of the speed of light in the vacuum to the observed phase velocity is called the refractive index of the medium."
Interaction with transparent materials
The refractive index of a material indicates how much slower the speed of light is in that medium than in a vacuum. The slower speed of light in materials can cause refraction, as demonstrated by this prism (in the case of a prism splitting white light into a spectrum of colours, the refraction is known as dispersion).In passing through materials, the observed speed of light can differ from c. The ratio of c to the phase velocity of light in the material is called the refractive index. The speed of light in air is only slightly less than c. Denser media, such as water and glass, can slow light much more, to fractions such as and of c. Through diamond, light is much slower-only about 124,000 kilometres per second, less than of c.[10] This reduction in speed is also responsible for bending of light at an interface between two materials with different indices, a phenomenon known as refraction.
Since the speed of light in a material depends on the refractive index, and the refractive index may depend on the frequency of the light, light at different frequencies can travel at different speeds through the same material. This effect is called dispersion.
Classically, considering electromagnetic radiation to be a wave, the charges of each atom (primarily the electrons) interact with the electric and magnetic fields of the radiation, slowing its progress.
A more complete description of the passage of light through a medium is given by quantum electrodynamics.
If Captin Kirk could do it then it has to be possible![:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]
I posted my source, what is yours?
...I don't have a source. I didn't have to look it up. I learned it in college.
my explanation explains the mechanics behind what you copy-and-pasted.
The refractive index of a material indicates how much slower the speed of light is in that medium than in a vacuum. The slower speed of light in materials can cause refraction, as demonstrated by this prism (in the case of a prism splitting white light into a spectrum of colours, the refraction is known as dispersion).In passing through materials, the observed speed of light can differ from c. The ratio of c to the phase velocity of light in the material is called the refractive index. The speed of light in air is only slightly less than c. Denser media, such as water and glass, can slow light much more, to fractions such as and of c. Through diamond, light is much slower-only about 124,000 kilometres per second, less than of c.[10] This reduction in speed is also responsible for bending of light at an interface between two materials with different indices, a phenomenon known as refraction.
Since the speed of light in a material depends on the refractive index, and the refractive index may depend on the frequency of the light, light at different frequencies can travel at different speeds through the same material. This effect is called dispersion.
Classically, considering electromagnetic radiation to be a wave, the charges of each atom (primarily the electrons) interact with the electric and magnetic fields of the radiation, slowing its progress.
Mr. Checkov Warp factor 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Captin Kirk could do it then it has to be possible![:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]
And Kirk is not the only one - his experience has been duplicated over and over again on TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise by not only man, but multiple other species, as well. What more proof could we need?