Are there any physisists on the forum?

[colly]

If there are maybe you can answer a question that has been niggling away at me for ages. (well since I read something the other day)

I read that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.
No matter where you set out from, and no matter at what speed you are moving at the outset.
and, this is where I most likely have my knickers in a twist, in relation to, relative to, everything else, you will still be moving at no more than the speed of light.

Is that correct?

If it IS then I have a supplimentary question. But I would like to know if the above statements are considered fact first.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Correct.

 

[gaz]

i did physics a-level

 

[661-Pete]

Well I did my degree in physics, so I suppose that makes me a sometime physicist (would be nice to see the word spelt correctly ).

"Yes" to the question about the speed of light. So what's your supplementary then?

 

[mangaman]

I read that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.
No matter where you set out from, and no matter at what speed you are moving at the outset.
and, this is where I most likely have my knickers in a twist, in relation to, relative to, everything else, you will still be moving at no more than the speed of light.

Is that correct?

Yes indeedy. The speed of light is a constant - I'm itching for you're supplementary question now

 

[potsy]

I did physics A level too,well for about 2 weeks then I realised I was out of my depth very quickly

 

[aJohnson]

Yes.

 

[rich p]

There was an old lady called Wright
who could travel much faster than light.
She departed one day
in a relative way
and returned on the previous night.

 

[mangaman]

OK Colly

We've established the speed of light is a constant and it is not possible to travel faster.

Over to you - you're teasing us with you're supplementary question.

 

[ufkacbln]

Well I did my degree in physics, so I suppose that makes me a sometime physicist (would be nice to see the word spelt correctly ).

"Yes" to the question about the speed of light. So what's your supplementary then?

Fizzy Cyst

 

[Noodley]

OK, not wanting to sidetrack from the long-awaited colly supplementary question but surely the answer is only as correct as current thinking and knowledge allows it to be.

Surely 'something' could be faster than the speed of light?

You need a philosopher to answer it properly not a physicist

 

[mangaman]

Well you're in dangerous territory here Noodley..

I believe the speed of any electromagnetic wave eg light is a constant, predicted before it was ever measured eg by the Maxwell field equations ; but I am not a physicist

 

[Yellow Fang]

Is it the paradox where, if a subatomic particle is split apart such that each is in an undecided state, measuring the state of one will cause it to collapse into one state, and instantaneously cause the other to collapse into another state, even though by then it might be light years away?

 

[Over The Hill]

Yes indeedy. The speed of light is a constant - I'm itching for you're supplementary question now

Back to school for you!

Light is only at a constant speed in a vacuum.
It is slowed down when it travels through anything (air, glass etc).

So the speed of light can be changed.

However the long and the short of it is that you cannot speed something up to a point where it is as fast as light even if that light were slowed down the most it could be (which from memory is when passed through a diamond).

 

[Yellow Fang]

OK, not wanting to sidetrack from the long-awaited colly supplementary question but surely the answer is only as correct as current thinking and knowledge allows it to be.

Surely 'something' could be faster than the speed of light?

You need a philosopher to answer it properly not a physicist

"Philosophy is to science as pornography is to sex: it is cheaper, easier and some people prefer it. " according to Steve Jones