Faster than the Speed of Light.

Message boards : SETI@home Science : Faster than the Speed of Light.
Message board moderation

To post messages, you must log in.

1 · 2 · 3 · Next

AuthorMessage
Profile celttooth
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 21 Nov 99
Posts: 26503
Credit: 28,583,098
RAC: 0
Canada
Message 1076938 - Posted: 13 Feb 2011, 19:12:24 UTC - in response to Message 1076934.  

Going faster than the speed of light?
You should watch my pension checks at bill pay time, that's fast.
Faster than the speed of creditors!
Thank God for no rent payments, no credit card bills either.
celttooth
P.S. The server has been down longer than this before.
ID: 1076938 · Report as offensive
Odysseus
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 26 Jul 99
Posts: 1808
Credit: 6,701,347
RAC: 6
Canada
Message 1077416 - Posted: 15 Feb 2011, 4:03:48 UTC

JFTR c means the speed at which light (including all EM radiation, whatever the frequency) propagates in vacuo. In air or water, for example, massive particles can exceed the speed of light in that medium, giving rise to the phenomenon known as “Cerenkov radiation”.
ID: 1077416 · Report as offensive
-BeNt-
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 17 Oct 99
Posts: 1234
Credit: 10,116,112
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1077437 - Posted: 15 Feb 2011, 6:44:08 UTC

Everybody should know by now, laws are meant to be broken. ;)
Traveling through space at ~67,000mph!
ID: 1077437 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1086473 - Posted: 12 Mar 2011, 17:28:55 UTC - in response to Message 1077416.  

Alpha Camelopardalis seems to zipping through space at an astonishing speed between 1.5 and 9.4 million mph; and Alpha Camelopardalis is classiefied as supergiant type star,way more massive than our Sun. If such a massive object can travel so fast, then imagine a spacecraft going at that speed, if that craft was going towards Alpha Centauri,it would get there really fast.
ID: 1086473 · Report as offensive
Profile Johnney Guinness
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 11 Sep 06
Posts: 3093
Credit: 2,652,287
RAC: 0
Ireland
Message 1090172 - Posted: 25 Mar 2011, 1:54:00 UTC - in response to Message 1077437.  

Everybody should know by now, laws are meant to be broken. ;)

I agree, its up to ourselves to find ways to break the current laws of science!

John.
ID: 1090172 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1090397 - Posted: 25 Mar 2011, 19:05:21 UTC - in response to Message 1090172.  

Not sure if the laws of physics can be broken, they seem to apply to inside a blackhole enviroment, conditions of spacetime get weird.
ID: 1090397 · Report as offensive
Profile William Rothamel
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 25 Oct 06
Posts: 3756
Credit: 1,999,735
RAC: 4
United States
Message 1090473 - Posted: 26 Mar 2011, 0:40:20 UTC - in response to Message 1086473.  

Alpha Camelopardalis seems to zipping through space at an astonishing speed between 1.5 and 9.4 million mph; and Alpha Camelopardalis is classiefied as supergiant type star,way more massive than our Sun. If such a massive object can travel so fast, then imagine a spacecraft going at that speed, if that craft was going towards Alpha Centauri,it would get there really fast.


It would take 300 years
ID: 1090473 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1090919 - Posted: 27 Mar 2011, 17:01:03 UTC - in response to Message 1090473.  

That is faster than sending a rocket on chemical propultion, no living tissue would survice such a voyage. NASA and other agencies in conjuction with private indrustry; have to get way from chemical based rockets to other propulsion systems, such as ION engines. At this pace,the only space research will be confined to local space, the Solar System; if humans want to colonize other worlds, will have to be beyond the Solar System. When the Sun's fusion process runs out, life as we know it on Earh will cease to exist, the red giant faze of the Sun will include Earth, meaning that Earth will be toasted, literally. NASA and other space agencies seem to spend their time on the exploration of the Solar system, would be best if they put their research funds on things like fusion propulsion research, antimatter propulsion, this ideas might seem radical, but if the human race ever wants to colonize other worlds, then radical space research has be done. NASA and the European Space Agency have to push the envelope when it comes to space exploration.
ID: 1090919 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1090939 - Posted: 27 Mar 2011, 17:29:48 UTC - in response to Message 1077416.  

A powerful alien radio telescope, optical telescope, or Infrared telescope, would any of these divices be able to capture Earth's radio signature? Earth satelites, and electrical grids, could give off artificial radio signature to powerful alien radio receivers, optical telescopes. Earth must stand out in the Solar system in terms of radio signature. The only know planet with inteligent life so far, Earth is is like a supped up car, might be detectable by powerful alien receivers.
ID: 1090939 · Report as offensive
Larry Monske

Send message
Joined: 17 Sep 05
Posts: 281
Credit: 554,328
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1091259 - Posted: 28 Mar 2011, 20:53:16 UTC - in response to Message 1090939.  

A powerful alien radio telescope, optical telescope, or Infrared telescope, would any of these divices be able to capture Earth's radio signature? Earth satelites, and electrical grids, could give off artificial radio signature to powerful alien radio receivers, optical telescopes. Earth must stand out in the Solar system in terms of radio signature. The only know planet with inteligent life so far, Earth is is like a supped up car, might be detectable by powerful alien receivers.

I think at the vast distances involved only a carrier wave maybe could be dectec ted. Maybe some maxican radio stations might be heard I could recieve them in michagan clearly. But the chance of someone listening in on our transmissions would have to have radio capability. We just have to have the right frequency that they are on and be listening at the right time. The voyager spacecraft are now beyond 58 AUs from earth and we can recieve its radio signals from its 70 watt transmitter. I have no idea what frequency its on but it works over a rather great distance. Once we figure out what freq they are on then maybe we will listen only and not attempt communication.
ID: 1091259 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1091368 - Posted: 29 Mar 2011, 3:24:36 UTC - in response to Message 1091259.  

Interesting. Maybe future probes like Kepler and others should be fitted with radio receivers for scanning possible non-celestial and non-terrestial radio signals. Any candidate signals captured by space telescopes, probes would be sent to SETI, NASA for anylesis. More emphasis should be given in the examination of the Alpha Centauri system, is there any effort going on now trying to determine if the Sun's closest star system has planets?
ID: 1091368 · Report as offensive
Larry Monske

Send message
Joined: 17 Sep 05
Posts: 281
Credit: 554,328
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1091560 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 6:14:39 UTC - in response to Message 1091368.  

Interesting. Maybe future probes like Kepler and others should be fitted with radio receivers for scanning possible non-celestial and non-terrestial radio signals. Any candidate signals captured by space telescopes, probes would be sent to SETI, NASA for anylesis. More emphasis should be given in the examination of the Alpha Centauri system, is there any effort going on now trying to determine if the Sun's closest star system has planets?



We communicate with relitively large distance and can detect a 70 watt transmission from voyager.Voyager is now 58 UAs from earth. These frequencies work fine for solor system exploration. Now in these wavelengths wouldnt they transmit over even vaster distances. If so could other beings with the same technologies be able to hear these commands, if only on the right frequency at the right time is the key.
ID: 1091560 · Report as offensive
Larry Monske

Send message
Joined: 17 Sep 05
Posts: 281
Credit: 554,328
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1091562 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 6:26:57 UTC - in response to Message 1091560.  

Acceleration to light speed could you physically stand the force. It could take years to reach that velocity. As for fuel your tank would be the size of a galaxy. Fusion isnt achievible yet, that could be a century down the road. Acceleration should it be slowly come to speed or rocket to speed, fuel would limit this. Another big question how do you test it. At light speed its faster than signals to the craft. A paradox maybe a 12 year mathmatation has it in his mind. All this is well beyond what we can do but in the future should man survive he might have to leave this world to survive.
ID: 1091562 · Report as offensive
aka_Sam
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 1 Aug 07
Posts: 471
Credit: 1,637,878
RAC: 0
Canada
Message 1091572 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 7:14:50 UTC - in response to Message 1091562.  

Acceleration to light speed could you physically stand the force. It could take years to reach that velocity. As for fuel your tank would be the size of a galaxy. Fusion isnt achievible yet, that could be a century down the road. Acceleration should it be slowly come to speed or rocket to speed, fuel would limit this. Another big question how do you test it. At light speed its faster than signals to the craft. A paradox maybe a 12 year mathmatation has it in his mind. All this is well beyond what we can do but in the future should man survive he might have to leave this world to survive.

Conventional rockets, even fusion ones, will never get you to the speed of light. As you approach light speed, your mass increases and time slows down. At light speed, your mass would be infinite, meaning it would take an infinite amount of thrust (and fuel) to go faster. Also, time slow and, at light speed, would stop. With no passage of time there can be no acceleration. For these two reasons (plus a whole lot of engineering issues) light-speed and beyond is impossible.
ID: 1091572 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 1091639 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 15:28:07 UTC - in response to Message 1091572.  

why exactly would my mass increase. Mass is pretty constant. it's the speed and energy needed to push the mass at that speed that causes the increased energy need


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 1091639 · Report as offensive
Profile tullio
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 9 Apr 04
Posts: 8797
Credit: 2,930,782
RAC: 1
Italy
Message 1091661 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 16:17:41 UTC
Last modified: 30 Mar 2011, 16:19:07 UTC

Inertial mass is resistance to acceleration. Gravitational mass is another thing and Einstein postulated that the two are equal, hence general relativity.
Galileo demonstrated this by making objects of different weight (hence mass) fall from the Pisa Leaning Tower in the same time.
Tullio
ID: 1091661 · Report as offensive
Profile William Rothamel
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 25 Oct 06
Posts: 3756
Credit: 1,999,735
RAC: 4
United States
Message 1091683 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 17:12:43 UTC - in response to Message 1091639.  
Last modified: 30 Mar 2011, 17:20:18 UTC

Your apparent mass would increase since the Newtonian notion of F=MA or M=F/A would no longer be a linear relationship where the mass were constant. It would take disproportionately more force to achieve the next unit of acceleration (1/(1-V^2/c^2)). where c is the speed of light in free space. Einstein simply allowed the notion that mass is not a constant so when he did a thought experiment with the change in momentum after a collision, he took the total derivative as if mass (M) were not a constant but rather a variable. I.e dm/dv=m(dv) +v(dm).
This resulted in E=mc^2.

Thus your resistance to acceleration would increase and we would say that the effect is that your mass has increased.
As your speed approaches the speed of light the force required to accelerate becomes infinite or undefined as you divide by zero .
ID: 1091683 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 1091705 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 19:27:38 UTC - in response to Message 1091683.  

I like the idea of Star trek for light speed travel. Where a bubble is created and allows the mass inside to travel as if it were a beam of light


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 1091705 · Report as offensive
Profile ML1
Volunteer moderator
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 25 Nov 01
Posts: 21229
Credit: 7,508,002
RAC: 20
United Kingdom
Message 1091767 - Posted: 30 Mar 2011, 23:24:26 UTC - in response to Message 1091705.  

I like the idea of Star trek for light speed travel. Where a bubble is created and allows the mass inside to travel as if it were a beam of light


We can already do that... Except that it takes a ridiculous amount of energy to do so!


Aside: Very good summaries there for the basis for E = mc^2

Keep searchin,
Martin

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)
ID: 1091767 · Report as offensive
C Olival

Send message
Joined: 6 Sep 10
Posts: 209
Credit: 10,675
RAC: 0
United States
Message 1092107 - Posted: 1 Apr 2011, 2:11:50 UTC - in response to Message 1091572.  

Agree even with fusion, rocket propulsion would not reach even 20 percent ligh speed, that is fast compared to today's chemical rockets however. Antimatter propulsion would the fastest propulsion method that one day could techonologically be feasible, unless someone comes up with a way of using wormholes,more appropriately womholes that could actually be crossed, knows as traversable worholes, and that would be only if exotic matter with negative anergy density could be used to stabilize them. So wormholes as means of interstaler travel will stay in the theoretical physics realm still. That means then that antimatter propulsion will be the fastest way humans will ever do one day, and the feat of using antimatter as a means of propulsion, will be one of the greatest techonological discoveries.
ID: 1092107 · Report as offensive
1 · 2 · 3 · Next

Message boards : SETI@home Science : Faster than the Speed of Light.


 
©2024 University of California
 
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.