The unofficial physics thread

[DJ Poppinfresh]

To help this new board take off (Which I'm quite giddy about), I'll start this thread. Use this as a Q&A thread if you like, or simply discuss any aspect of physics.

Try not to stray from the point. Keep discussions on the topic of physics only.

Enjoy.

[Th0r]

Try not to stray from the point. Keep discussions on the topic of physics only.


Please do not bring Creationism or religion into the thread or the whole board since we've had Science VS Religion debated and discussed many, many times here on a multitude of different levels. Please do discuss such things as the LHC, the Big Bang and other theories on the creation of the Universe.

[.VX]

So ... Why do people seem to think that the maximum speed of light is maximum possible speed that can be acheived by anything?

(I think that that's what it is, anyway)

[Th0r]

So ... Why do people seem to think that the maximum speed of light is maximum possible speed that can be acheived by anything?

(I think that that's what it is, anyway)

I blame the media.

[RoundElephant]

So ... Why do people seem to think that the maximum speed of light is maximum possible speed that can be acheived by anything?

(I think that that's what it is, anyway)

It's the universal constant. If you travel faster then it you go backwards in time.

[.VX]

That presents so many problems ...

[DJ Poppinfresh]

So ... Why do people seem to think that the maximum speed of light is maximum possible speed that can be acheived by anything?

(I think that that's what it is, anyway)

It's just a misconception - People confuse "The fastest speed in the universe" with "The fastest speed POSSIBLE in the universe". In some theories, though, such as the theory of Gravitons (Wikipedia it), There are smaller, faster particles.

It's worth looking into.

It's the universal constant. If you travel faster then it you go backwards in time.


...Assuming that time itself is a physical dimension.

(Which it's probably not)


As you approach the speed of light, You're mass starts climbing, until the point of reaching the speed of light, where you're mass is infinite.

Meaning - You would need an infinite amount of energy to pro pulse yourself (Which is impossible to attain).

So, In theory, you can't move at the speed of light, let alone past it.

(Unless, of course, your spaceship has less mass than a photon)

[Mr.A]

This makes me ponder the thought as to whether a theory of physics exists that has no finite constants is the ultimate for physics. This would mean an equation that would allow for infinite possibilities, so probably not.

Just a thought.

[jdcpe17]

So ... Why do people seem to think that the maximum speed of light is maximum possible speed that can be acheived by anything?

(I think that that's what it is, anyway)

they dont. they have already suggested the existance of tachyons which travel much faster than light.

it has also been thought that the speed of light has not always been constant throughout time. if that were the case, than the actual duration of years since the big bang may not be accurate.

[thief]

So, In theory, you can't move at the speed of light, let alone past it.


What if you could somehow turn the said mass into light? Could it then be plausible to travel at that speed or pass it? If of course the light on the other end could be reassembled back into the said mass.
Or send some type of info in the form of light so that it could be assembled on the other side as the said mass?!!

[jdcpe17]

What if you could somehow turn the said mass into light? Could it then be plausible to travel at that speed or pass it? If of course the light on the other end could be reassembled back into the said mass.
Or send some type of info in the form of light so that it could be assembled on the other side as the said mass?!!


they have already started to teleport protons....

[crazy white guy]

What if you could somehow turn the said mass into light? Could it then be plausible to travel at that speed or pass it? If of course the light on the other end could be reassembled back into the said mass.
Or send some type of info in the form of light so that it could be assembled on the other side as the said mass?!!

Law of conservation of mass. Your it's bitch.

If you break something down into a different particle it will still be the same mass. If you break down a human beyond the point of being atoms so they are protons, neutrons and electrons all separate, it would be impossible to reconfigure the person without a super computer that could place each particle back how it was, and even then its not guaranteed that they will not be brain dead afterwords. The atoms would bond in a very specific and unique way and such. There's no practical way to recreate all those bonds... even theoretically.

also to add to the argument. String theory suggests that the protons, neutrons and electrons are not necessarily the smallest particles nor even close to the smallest. Look at the history of chemistry. We thought the smallest particles were sulfur. Then we discovered atoms. Then bohr discovered atoms, rutherford discovered electrons, and so on until we have our current model. We might find that there are smaller particles that we have no way of measuring right now.

The most plausible faster than light travel theory I've heard was to separate one's self from the rest of matter somehow. That way the particles that make up your vessel will not experience any forces that would try to attract or repel them. That way speed is infinite.

[jdcpe17]

Law of conservation of mass. Your it's bitch.

If you break something down into a different particle it will still be the same mass. If you break down a human beyond the point of being atoms so they are protons, neutrons and electrons all separate, it would be impossible to reconfigure the person without a super computer that could place each particle back how it was, and even then its not guaranteed that they will not be brain dead afterwords. The atoms would bond in a very specific and unique way and such. There's no practical way to recreate all those bonds... even theoretically.

also to add to the argument. String theory suggests that the protons, neutrons and electrons are not necessarily the smallest particles nor even close to the smallest. Look at the history of chemistry. We thought the smallest particles were sulfur. Then we discovered atoms. Then bohr discovered atoms, rutherford discovered electrons, and so on until we have our current model. We might find that there are smaller particles that we have no way of measuring right now.

The most plausible faster than light travel theory I've heard was to separate one's self from the rest of matter somehow. That way the particles that make up your vessel will not experience any forces that would try to attract or repel them. That way speed is infinite.


They cant firgure out how to get past the quantum physics Heisenberg uncertainty principle. You can know the speed of a particle but not the position or visa versa. So how do you transport such a thing as this?

[crazy white guy]

They cant firgure out how to get past the quantum physics Heisenberg uncertainty principle. You can know the speed of a particle but not the position or visa versa. So how do you transport such a thing as this?

Thats kind of the point. We don't know. It may not be possible at all, it might be more simple than we know, we might just not have the technology to tinker to the extent that we would need to create the anonymous readings that would lead to that "eureka." Like teflon being made by holding the teflon gas at too high a pressure. If we didnt have the tech to bring gas to above 1000 psi we never would have discovered teflon.

[aurum est potestas]

I have a question, Say you werein a vehicle going the speed of light, then you turn the headlights on, what happens?

Have you heard of the theory of subspace? which makes subspace almost a back corridor with each section of that back corridor corresponding to normal space, but this subspace is outside the realm of worldly or normal physics? Allowing you to theoretically go faster than the speed of light, by merely moving along this subspace to the corresponding point in space. I haven't looked to deeply into this at all i was reading a book about how real and plausible the things you see in sci fi movies are.

[thief]

That's a great question AEP and I'm not good enough to answer it... any scientists in the house?

[iceniner]

Blue shift happens.

Light appears to go at the same speed no matter how fast you are going.

[aurum est potestas]

Ok i could be mistaken here but photons have some mass however infinitesimally small. Why do they not have infinite mass seeing as they are traveling at the speed of light.