A bit of a question

[ikapacho 0]

Okay, this will sound weird, but before you trash my idea and burn it, suppose that

 

A Light speed travel is possible and

 

B Faster than light speed is possible as well.

 

If you were to reach light speed and then break it while traveling in a craft, would there be some kind of light, or even time boom somewhat similiar to the sonic boom created by breaking the sound barrier? If so, what would be the effect? Just wondering...

 

:)

[BakulaBabe 2]

Good question. I've wonder about that every time I see Trek. They seem to suggest some kind of "boom" effect in each intro when the ship goes into warp. I don't know what Einstein has to say about it, but a "light" effect of some kind seems reasonable.

[ussvaliant_co 0]

Sounds like a reasonable assumption to me as well. :)

[RikerChick 5]

ooooooooo, good question! Never thought of it before, but you're probably right.

[Col Vash Evans 0]

I, too, would be curious. If I remember correctly there ought not to be any "sound" in space, but the effect of the ships size growning when approching c is a part of the relitivity theory. anybody take advanced physics 2010? :)

[removed 0]

there is supposed to be colour distortion. i know that for sure.

[Xeroc 0]

It is quite possible that faster than light travel is possible but it is fundamentally different from slower that light travel.

 

A sonic boom is where the plane outruns its own sound waves, causing them to pile up and compress together into a large shock wave.

 

 

FTL (faster than light) travel is different. With conventional methods (like a rocket) when you get closer and closer to the speed of light, it takes more and more energy to go slightly faster and faster because your mass is increasing and time relative to the outside is slowing down.

 

To travel faster than light you kind of have to "cheat", you can:

• Use a wormhole shortcut

• Fold spce close together (called a geodesic fold)

• Warp space laterally so you can move over a large distance as if it were small (like warp drive) or

• Change the properties of space so the speed of light increases and so you also can go faster (like what some think cosmic strings might do)

(remember there are many other theories)

 

So you really wouldn't ever see a "boom" of any kind.

[ikapacho 0]

Wow xeroc, nothing else, just wow... :(

[ussvaliant_co 0]

That was a pretty in depth explination! :(