speed of light

[Mr. Happy]

First of all, we should all clarify what we are talking about. ANYTHING can move faster than c, but no INFORMATION can move faster than c. I know it's hard to get your head around, but that's how it actually works. But it's easier for laymen to understand it as the movement of an object.

Researchers have already observed light pulses exiting a test chamber before they entered, thus seeing something before it happened.

However, the light wasnt move faster than c, it was a result of relativity of observers.

Well, yes and no. They can make a PATTERN move faster than the speed of light.

For a simple real world analogy, grab a flashlight and point it a wall far away. No rotate the flashlight a little bit... the spot on the far wall moved far faster. You CAN make that spot move faster than the speed of light, but nobody has ever claimed you can't.

Your flashlight spot isn't moving faster than light. The light moves from the flashlight to each point on the wall at speed c. If you actually measure the speed of the spot it would be extremely slow (relatively). Try this, take your flashlight and move your wrist slowly back and forth, see the light is moving slowly. Move your wrist faster and faster and the spot of light moves faster. The only way to do what your saying is to move your arm faster than c, which is impossible.


But this doesn't have anything to do with what I was talking about in that quote.

So, if there was something that inherently always moved faster than light, it would, but nothing can accelerate to that point.

Anything that has mass can't move faster than the speed of light. Since e=mc^2, anything with some energy can't either.

Nope. Re-read what I said: anything can move faster than light, it just can't move at c, so acceleration to a faster than light speed is impossible, wheras movement at a faster than light speed is possible. Fact.

Okay, to begin with, time is a concept - that is, it does not exist. Therefore, time travel is impossible.

You made my head hurt. Time exists just as much as 'space' or 'solids' or 'you'. Don't bother getting metaphysical.

Well, you see, thing is that your both kinda wrong. Think of the universe like a four dimensional graph. Time exists as an axis, but it isn't like a solid. (and yes, it can be dragged, but not by the three spacial dimensions).

[Sorrow]

You can't go faster than c, you can only bypass c, to go faster than c you will transcend c, and you can't fly at c so you can't go any further.
the only way is to bypass it, well in a spacecraft that is. unless we somehow learn to digitize ourselves and send us to another part of the universe via comm-dish.

[Persol]

First of all, we should all clarify what we are talking about. ANYTHING can move faster than c, but no INFORMATION can move faster than c.

No.. completely wrong. NOTHING can move faster than c. A spot on the wall is not a thing, its just an area that is being effected.

If you actually measure the speed of the spot it would be extremely slow (relatively). Try this, take your flashlight and move your wrist slowly back and forth, see the light is moving slowly. Move your wrist faster and faster and the spot of light moves faster. The only way to do what your saying is to move your arm faster than c, which is impossible.

You are an idiot. Pick a night when the moon and mars are both above the horizon. Shine your flashlight (or a laser in reality) at the moon. Now shine it at mars. Your 'spot' has just moved faster than the speed of light (regardless of the fact that it is too dim for you to see without extra equipment). You don't need to move your arm at the speed of light.

And no THING actually moved at the speed of light either. Your spot isn't an object... same as in the experiment you are talking about.

But this doesn't have anything to do with what I was talking about in that quote.

Yeah, it does. Look at the experiment (which you probably never read anyway). It's a case of group velocity... here's a quote from the people that actually did the damn experiment... it's a very similar to the analogy you are arguing about

Exceeding the group velocity of light in this manner is comparable to exceeding the speed of sound by arranging people distantly spaced in a line, and asking them all to shout "I'm here!", one after another with short intervals, each one timing it by looking at their own wristwatch so they don't have to wait until they hear the previous person shouting. Another example can be seen when watching ocean waves washing up on shore. With a narrow enough angle between the wave and the shoreline, the breakers travel along the wave's length much faster than the wave's movement inland.

Nope. Re-read what I said: anything can move faster than light, it just can't move at c, so acceleration to a faster than light speed is impossible, wheras movement at a faster than light speed is possible. Fact.

Fact my ass. Any source... please. You are simply wrong. Do me a favor and calculate the potential energy of something travelling that fast...oh.. wait... you keep getting an answer of square root(-1), what a surprise. Don't talk about what you don't understand.

Well, you see, thing is that your both kinda wrong. Think of the universe like a four dimensional graph. Time exists as an axis, but it isn't like a solid. (and yes, it can be dragged, but not by the three spacial dimensions).

You need to get an education. Regardless, you haven't explained what is wrong with "time exists just as much as space or solids or you". Graphs are created by us, and really in no way states that my comment was wrong.

Some education:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-tha ... parent_FTL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/8-01P ... /index.htm

[Sorrow]

you're getting awefully spicy about it persol

[Persol]

I don't really like people trying to 'educate' others when they know bat-shit about the subject.

[longshanks]

I like the Dune idea of light speed travel.
Fold space
Travelling... without moving..

[Athlete{UK}]

Persol Your rebuttals are bordering on out and out personal attacks and also you know bat shit about the subject as well. So did Einstien. So does everyone. The fact of the matter is all we have to go off for anything is theories. We have no absolout concrete proof towards anything. Just possibilities.

So you can get off the high and mighty as well.

Mr happy. Reading through your post you seem to have misunderstood some of the concepts behind the theories of relativity. Either that or i'm misunderstanding what you're getting at .

[Mr. Happy]

Hmmm, well ath I choose option number two!

Anyway, I don't go by wikipedia, I go my professors and various lectures I've been too. Ya know, lectures by people actually researching this stuff. Damn Boulder was a cool school, Bose-Einstein, particle acclerators, square foot resolution coastline mapping, NIST for gods sakes! Its such a center of scientific discovery and thought... wish I was still there. (sigh) I mean, how awesome is it to have been within thirty feet of where the traditional laws of physics were broken, where multiple atoms were caused to occupy the same spot in space!

Anyway, the whole speed of light thing is kinda like the energy levels of an electron. Sure, they are proability fields, areas where a charge is likely to be, until you get them very very cold and then electrons actually do travel in an orbit!

one thing...

You are an idiot. Pick a night when the moon and mars are both above the horizon. Shine your flashlight (or a laser in reality) at the moon. Now shine it at mars. Your 'spot' has just moved faster than the speed of light (regardless of the fact that it is too dim for you to see without extra equipment). You don't need to move your arm at the speed of light.

And no THING actually moved at the speed of light either. Your spot isn't an object... same as in the experiment you are talking about.

Thanks for agreeing with me and rephrasing what I was saying in your own words!

oh, and one other thing: "you are an idiot" I see..well, thanks for letting me know! But seriously, this is the serious discussion forum and an intresting topic. Try not to get it locked with your random character attacks. In case you don't know, "forum" means "place of discussion" not "place to yell at everyone who disagrees with me"

[Ripper_hugme]

I still think my giant slingshot theory will work. I just need one government or firm to fund the project.

[Mr. Happy]

I can give you $10

[Sathor]

Ask Umbrella Corporation. They will fund you, I am sure. *hint*

[Spas12]

the speed of light is 666,000,000 miles per hour. thats 185,000 miles per second, god damn! I REALLY dont think we will ever come close to that.

btw, is there a speed for darkness? or is darkness just the absence of light and not a thing at all and cannot be measured?

[Mr. Happy]

absense of light, but it's not really a thing, just a perception

[Sacul15]

If you think about it, light doesn't even travel at the speed of light(c). The photons would collide with the occasional particle in space, thus losing speed.
Question: When light is emitted from a source, does it touch that source, or is it just really, really, close to it?