Speed of Light - theory
- Thread starter Starlight
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Interesting...
If the flashlight is pointed forward, I'd hazard a guess that the light would "collect" inside the reflector and melt through after all the photons (which couldn't escape) were converted to heat.
But that's assuming we could even see that it was turned on, if the photons couldn't catch up to our eyes.
If the flashlight is pointed forward, I'd hazard a guess that the light would "collect" inside the reflector and melt through after all the photons (which couldn't escape) were converted to heat.
But that's assuming we could even see that it was turned on, if the photons couldn't catch up to our eyes.
karlthev
Flashlight Enthusiast
I think you might be passing by some photons!:naughty:
Karl
Karl
You can't travel at the speed of light, but let's say you were travelling extremely close to the speed of light. Relativity states that the speed of light is constant for all observers. To an outside observer it would indeed look like the beam from the flashlight was slowly extending forward. For you, however, time would have slowed down so much that the flashlight would appear normal inside your spaceship...
asdalton
Flashlight Enthusiast
No, both observers would see the beam of light traveling at the same speed.
savumaki
Enlightened
Reminds me of the old theory that you cannot be shot in the back by a gunman when you are running away since a fraction can't be subdivided to get zero 
Flashlight Aficionado
Enlightened
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I got to hear this one.
Right. This is the old relativity and advanced physics stuff, but Einstein said that the speed of light would remain at 3*10^8 m/s regardless of who the observer was. Also though, the speed of light only travels at that speed in a vacuum. The speed of light has been clocked as slow as 38 mph through different experiments.
http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/slowlight.html
It's a moot point. Under such theoretical speeds, nothing would exist in our current reality.
Mr Happy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well, something is all over the news at the moment that belies such a statement.
It is designed to accelerate things to 99.9999999% of the speed of light, and when they reach that speed they are not expected to disappear from our current reality (though surprises might happen).
What I am referring to, of course, is the Big Bang Machine, sometimes known as the End Of The World Machine, currently being commissioned in Switzerland.
Well, something is all over the news at the moment that belies such a statement.
It is designed to accelerate things to 99.9999999% of the speed of light, and when they reach that speed they are not expected to disappear from our current reality (though surprises might happen).
What I am referring to, of course, is the Big Bang Machine, sometimes known as the End Of The World Machine, currently being commissioned in Switzerland.
I understand, but OP posited going faster than the speed of light. The Hadron Collider does not go beyond the limit of this universe's reality.
StarHalo
Flashaholic
We don' need no steenkin' physical limits ("The end result was a beam of light that moved at 300 times the theoretical limit for the speed of light.") http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/841690.stm
Another issue regarding even getting near the speed of light is the amount of energy needed. Particle colliders need a power plant's worth of energy just to get a few particles that fast - an object the size of a human would probably require the amount of energy released by an exploding star. You could basically destroy the entire solar system just trying to get near the speed of light.
Another issue regarding even getting near the speed of light is the amount of energy needed. Particle colliders need a power plant's worth of energy just to get a few particles that fast - an object the size of a human would probably require the amount of energy released by an exploding star. You could basically destroy the entire solar system just trying to get near the speed of light.
TorchBoy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Speed of light - theory
Interesting article StarHalo.
To be moving faster than light, my torch would be made of tachyons, not tardyons like it is now. But I'd be tachyon matter too, so it would seem to me to work just fine and normally. Maybe. Another interesting situation is if my torch was moving past me at faster than light speeds but I was sitting still(ish). I wouldn't see it until it had gone past me, then I'd see it coming and going at the same time.
Very old theory - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno's_paradoxes#Achilles_and_the_tortoise.Reminds me of the old theory that you cannot be shot in the back by a gunman when you are running away since a fraction can't be subdivided to get zero
Interesting article StarHalo.
Flashanator
Flashlight Enthusiast
if you don't mind your flashlight being a black hole & time standing still for you, then go for it.:duh2:
interesting to see what results you get
interesting to see what results you get
drmaxx
Enlightened
Let's see: A D10 with batteries might be somewhere around 0.065 kg. The speed of light is 299,792,458 m/s. To accelerate a D10 to the speed of light you need approximately: 0.5*0.065*299792458^2 = 2.9*10^15 J = 8.1*10^11 Wh. May be even a little more because of all the friction caused by the ether....
This is equivalent to the energy content of 270,458,734,342 AA Batteries.
It seems to me that there must be more efficient ways to charge my D10 then accellerating to the speed of light first. Not to mention that you need to slow it back down to be able to use it here back home....
:twothumbs
This is equivalent to the energy content of 270,458,734,342 AA Batteries.
It seems to me that there must be more efficient ways to charge my D10 then accellerating to the speed of light first. Not to mention that you need to slow it back down to be able to use it here back home....
:twothumbs
Juggernaut
Flashlight Enthusiast
I don't know, maybe a Surefire could survive.
Maybe.....but if not, there would be no reality remaining within which to service it. I suspect you would have more pressing concerns, like trying to find a new pair of BVD's.:thinking:
turkdc
Newly Enlightened
Have you ever tried holding a flashlight when you are traveling at the speed of light? Not fun. Not fun...
Juggernaut
Flashlight Enthusiast
I know it's just hard to stand up:sigh:. HAY wait a minute why don't we try a head lamp
!Mike Painter
Flashlight Enthusiast
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It's called Zeno's paradox and deals with an infinite series and a wrong conclusion.
