Posted: 2/27/2011 1:22:08 PM EDT
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Einstein said that nothing can go faster than the speed of light because it's mass would become infinite
My question is what would be the problems of an object whose mass reaches infinite? Can someone clarify this for me please. -Dep |
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As the object's mass increases, the power needed to accelerate it increases exponentially.
For example, doubling the speed might take double the energy. Doubling the speed again takes 4 times the energy, etc, until you're adding 1,000,000 times more energy only to get a fraction of a percent faster. Eventually, you get to the point where you could convert every single atom in the universe, except one, to energy in an effort to accelerate that one remaining atom, and it STILL wouldn't reach lightspeed. Now, the "fun" part. If we throw that out and just say an object somehow attains infinite mass, I would have to take a guess and say all matter in the universe would fly towards it at lightspeed. (Since we're assuming "infinite" is possible, I'm also assuming 100% lightspeed for matter is possible) |
| Can't clarify and I'm a big fan of Einstein BUT I'm still hung up on the whole "can't travel faster than light" thing. I figure that there should be some scalability between (from?) quantum physics and the real world. If a quantum particle can do it, why cant we? |
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Can't clarify and I'm a big fan of Einstein BUT I'm still hung up on the whole "can't travel faster than light" thing. I figure that there should be some scalability between (from?) quantum physics and the real world. If a quantum particle can do it, why cant we? Only particles with zero mass can travel at the speed of light. A photon is one such particle. Energy = Mass * Velocity squared E=MV^2 |
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As the object's mass increases, the power needed to accelerate it increases exponentially. For example, doubling the speed might take double the energy. Doubling the speed again takes 4 times the energy, etc, until you're adding 1,000,000 times more energy only to get a fraction of a percent faster. Eventually, you get to the point where you could convert every single atom in the universe, except one, to energy in an effort to accelerate that one remaining atom, and it STILL wouldn't reach lightspeed. Now, the "fun" part. If we throw that out and just say an object somehow attains infinite mass, I would have to take a guess and say all matter in the universe would fly towards it at lightspeed. (Since we're assuming "infinite" is possible, I'm also assuming 100% lightspeed for matter is possible) It would take more fuel to move a larger mass. Infinite fuel to accelerate infinite mass to the speed of light.
That explains a lot thank you very much, see I was thinking from a biological standpoint and thought that a living organism couldn't take that much of a beating |
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Can't clarify and I'm a big fan of Einstein BUT I'm still hung up on the whole "can't travel faster than light" thing. I figure that there should be some scalability between (from?) quantum physics and the real world. If a quantum particle can do it, why cant we? Only particles with zero mass can travel at the speed of light. A photon is one such particle. Energy = Mass * Velocity squared E=MV^2 And there's the next problem. How does something that exists, at least as part of a theory to prove another theory so to speak, not have mass. I (with a layman's limited ability) understand that the world on the quantum level is completely different than ours but.... |
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Can't clarify and I'm a big fan of Einstein BUT I'm still hung up on the whole "can't travel faster than light" thing. I figure that there should be some scalability between (from?) quantum physics and the real world. If a quantum particle can do it, why cant we? Only particles with zero mass can travel at the speed of light. A photon is one such particle. Energy = Mass * Velocity squared E=MV^2 And there's the next problem. How does something that exists, at least as part of a theory to prove another theory so to speak, not have mass. I (with a layman's limited ability) understand that the world on the quantum level is completely different than ours but.... Always wondered that myself |
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How does time play into this?
Speed is a measurement of distance over time correct? So if time is altered is speed changed as well? We already know time is effected by extreme gravity, so if we can change time via gravity would'nt it be possible to in a sense move faster than the speed of light at least to an observer? 
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Quoted: How does time play into this? Speed is a measurement of distance over time correct? So if time is altered is speed changed as well? We already know time is effected by extreme gravity, so if we can change time via gravity would'nt it be possible to in a sense move faster than the speed of light at least to an observer? This "Cosmos" segment may help explain the phenomenon. 
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Can't clarify and I'm a big fan of Einstein BUT I'm still hung up on the whole "can't travel faster than light" thing. I figure that there should be some scalability between (from?) quantum physics and the real world. If a quantum particle can do it, why cant we? Only particles with zero mass can travel at the speed of light. A photon is one such particle. Energy = Mass * Velocity squared E=MV^2 And there's the next problem. How does something that exists, at least as part of a theory to prove another theory so to speak, not have mass. I (with a layman's limited ability) understand that the world on the quantum level is completely different than ours but.... Always wondered that myself Existance is not the same as mass. You know some things exist because of observation. You can detect energy(photons) by observation as well as substance(mass). Existance is simply detection/observation. Consider that mass and energy can be transformed into each other. When a nuclear bomb detonates, some of the mass, becomes pure energy. Some sub atomic particles are not transformed to another form of particle but they are actually changed into pure energy. They no longer exist as matter. Mass, energy, gravity and time are all interconnected. Amazing isn't it. For what its worth, the more I learn about it, the more amazed I am at the work of God in creating existance. |
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It would take more fuel to move a larger mass. Infinite fuel to accelerate infinite mass to the speed of light. Ah, but as a near-light-speed traveler, is your mass really larger to you - or just larger as viewed by the rest of us stationary folks? If your mass is unchanged from your perspective, aren't your fuel requirements also unchanged? |