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Speed of Light Barrier

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Topic: Speed of Light Barrier

Perdition

Member (Idle past 3266 days)

Posts: 1593

From: Wisconsin

Joined: 05-15-2003

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Message 117 of 178 (503965)
03-23-2009 5:58 PM

Reply to: Message 111 by cavediver
03-05-2009 10:24 AM

Because they are zero rest-mass partciles

My question, and this was a question of some interest before I dropped out of my physics major and switched to philosophy, is what about the laws of the Universe make the speed of light the ultimate barrier. I mean, I can understand that something with mass would need infinite engergy to reach c, but why can't something without mass go faster? Do they have a tentative answer about that yet?

The more we answer the more we find we can ask.

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	Message 111 by cavediver, posted 03-05-2009 10:24 AM		cavediver has not replied

Replies to this message:
	Message 118 by Taq, posted 03-23-2009 6:03 PM	Perdition has replied
	Message 119 by onifre, posted 03-23-2009 8:11 PM	Perdition has not replied
	Message 120 by DevilsAdvocate, posted 03-23-2009 9:57 PM	Perdition has not replied

Perdition

Member (Idle past 3266 days)

Posts: 1593

From: Wisconsin

Joined: 05-15-2003

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Message 123 of 178 (504693)
04-01-2009 5:40 PM

Reply to: Message 118 by Taq
03-23-2009 6:03 PM

I've heard of the tachyon before. I'm more interested in what is it that sets this limit. Why can't tachyons go slower and why can't photons go faster. Is there something about space itself that imposes a limit?

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	Message 118 by Taq, posted 03-23-2009 6:03 PM		Taq has not replied

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Perdition

Member (Idle past 3266 days)

Posts: 1593

From: Wisconsin

Joined: 05-15-2003

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Message 126 of 178 (504754)
04-02-2009 12:56 PM

Reply to: Message 125 by cavediver
04-01-2009 6:20 PM

See, this is why I dropped out of physics. Well, mostly it was calculus that kicked my ass, but the general relativity and quantum mechanics, while very interesting, relied too heavily on that type of math.

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