Will it ever be possible to travel faster than the speed of light?

Eventually, they'll figure out the barrier -- obviously, they're not going to find a way to just step on the gas and go, but it's something people have been dreaming about for a long time, and I think -- ultimately -- some solution will be found to the problem. Hyperspace is probably as good as it gets. A physics teacher of my acquaintance says the secret is learning about electron tunneling.

 

It would be be cool, but no.

 

According to both Stephen Hawkings and Albert Einstein, not taking account the possibility of traveling through a worm hole, it is not physically possible to travel faster than the speed of light. This is because as matter approaches the speed of light the amount of force required for it to accelerate further increases as well. scientists at CERN and other particle accelerators around the globe have been able to accelerate neutrons at up to 99.999% the speed of light, but the energy needed to bring it to 100% is simply impossible.

Believe me...I know this stuff

 

The amount of Force to bring any particle up to the speed of light is actully INFINTE NUETWONS (or lbs if your American nonphysics) so therefore it is impossible in the present states to get to the speed of light.

Some one previous posted that some scientest got a particle up to 100x or 300x c (the speed of light) that is simply untrue and bogus info.

Under current theories it is impossible to travel at the speed of light. Unless a major changes come to the theories of relativity it will stay the same.

I voted a definate NO.

 

There's a high possiblity that it might be so I say YES.....

 

I support mutley
the true question is WHEN?

 

I hope . . . But as far as we know, the speed of light is the only constant in the universe, and the ultimate barrier, because as you approach it, time would slow down to a standstill, your mass would approach infinity, and the energy required to keep moving would approach infinity.

 

If I recall correctly physics and relativity allow for things to go slower and faster than the speed of light. The problem anything with rest mass that is slower than the speed of light requires infinite energy to go 100% lightspeed. Anything that can go faster than the speed of light would require infinite energy to SLOW it down to 100% lightspeed.

 

Another scientist here who firmly believes in the laws of physics...

 

What the heck - I'll say yes.

 

there are those who believe that the speed of light is just another barrier, like the speed of sound but different.

it's different in that, so they say, objects can travel faster than the speed of light. but objects that travel faster, can't then slow down to a speed that is slower than the speed of light.

in much the same way, objects that exist below the speed of light can't accelerate above it.

we can get very close, but it is unachievable.

 

Hey we broke the sound berreir(sp?) right?


we probably can in say 6-8 years from now but who knows right?

 

I know very little about physics, but with a bit of luck and some hard work it could happen.

 

Si, senor.

 

No. Scientific progress is not limitless, in my opinion. I'm no cross dimensional physicist, as some people seem to be, but I don't think it will be possible.

In the late 1800's, there was a sentiment that all things scientific had been discovered and that no new ground was to be tread. Obviously, that thinking was wrong, just as my thinking is likely wrong. However, taking scientific progress for granted and saying that it will always occur seems a bit naive to me.

 

The Alicubre warp drive. By sqeezing(warping) the space in front of your ship, and expanding the space behind the ship, as far as the rest of the universe is concerned you can travel faster than lightspeed. Time dilation effects disappear because the ship and its local space and time measurements are cutoff from the rest of the universe by a warp bubble containing the ship.

Problems?
Oh just one lil problem. The intial figures concluded that it would take an amount of energy equal to all the stars in the universe. Crud. A physicist got a hold of this information, reworked it, and figured out you can get the same effects with the walls of the warp bublle being made thinner and using only a "few dozen stars". Well we aint gonna contain a few dozen stars in anything but thats alot better than 100 billion X 100 billion stars.

But the math works. It is allowed to work. Its just the energy requirements are too big.

Another theory is that with the use of rapidly rotating magnetic fields (think of how a smoke ring turns in on itself over and over as it floats away) and sort of "tricking" the universe into thinking the mass of the ship has been removed. Anything with zero rest mass moves at the speed of light and any energy put into it will send it even faster.

In that second example however you don't get away from dilation effects and that magnetic field better be REAL powerful because if so much as a microgram of dust hits you at lightspeed or better you will become a very bright explosion. The warp drive works better.

I have not read up on these things in awhile so I hope my explanations made sense

 

Of course it will, someday, at least.

 

I would of liked a third option.

No. Haven't you ever heard of Einstein

 

Actually faster than light travel has already been developed and extensively been used for generations - the form of travel is called "Monarchy"

The reasoning as follows: Light, although it travels fast, doesnt transfer instantaneously.

On the death of a monarch, the monarchy travels instantly to the next in line. Therefor Monarchy is the only thing that can travel faster than Light.

The above comes (loosely) from the Discworld novel Mort. Excellent read, damn funny!

 

Just out of knowledge, why does anything think that the matter can travel faster than the speed of light.

Is it because everyone does it in all the sci-fi films??

Why does anyone think you can travel back in time??

Science is amazing. However there are limits. Unless something earth 'shattering' (take that how you want) happens no one will ever travel through time (speed up or slow down can be done but lets not get into relativity) and no one is going to reach the speed of light.

As of right now the speed of light is THE barrier. Nothing can go faster, period. People who think otherwise just haven't read up on the facts of todays knowledge.

If you have different opinions, please go ahead and state your sourses. I'd like to read up on their research.

I am in no way saying there will never be new research into the area that brings up new theories. I am mearly stating that right now there is no logic that any object can go faster than c (the speed of light ~2.99*10^8 meters per second or to be exact 1/Square root of Permittivy of free space and Permiblity of free space), just tring to clearly state the facts.

ps the sound barrier is aboslutly completely different than the 'light barrier'. The speed of sound is not a constant, it varies with desity, intesity, tempature, and altitude.

 

i am preety sure they will think of something to travel that fast.

 

According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, anything travelling 3.00X10^8m/s is converted into E. However, we are discovering new things often, so I don't feel we have the knowledge yet to determine whether or not it is possible.

 

i said no, but who know anything is possible

 

Yes.

 

I say yes. Just because we can't see how now.....

doesn't mean a completely new perspecitve won't show us another way to look at it, which is entirely possible.

I hope so anyways.

My vote goes to the way it's possible in Orson Scott Card's Xenocide and Children of the mind.