When people talk about a spaceship traveling at 0.5c or 0.9999c, they mean with respect to some other frame (say the earth). In that frame you are traveling at 0.5c or 0.9999c and light, of course, is traveling at c.binbots said:I have always been confused about this. On here people constantly talk about traveling in a spaceship that goes .5c, or.9999c etc. But how can this be, no matter how fast one travels light will always travel at c compared to your reference frame. Does this not mean that no matter how fast you travel your speed will always equal 0 compared to light?
According to Einstein's theory of relativity, objects with mass cannot reach the speed of light. However, the theory also suggests that time and space are relative, meaning that as an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object. This allows the object to travel a great distance in a short amount of time, making it appear as though it is traveling at the speed of light.
The speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. This is considered to be the fastest possible speed in the universe.
As mentioned before, according to our current understanding of physics, it is not possible for objects with mass to reach the speed of light. However, scientists are constantly researching and testing new technologies and theories that may one day allow for human travel at the speed of light.
As mentioned earlier, as an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object. This phenomenon is known as time dilation. This means that for an object traveling at the speed of light, time would essentially stand still. This has been proven through various experiments, including the famous "twin paradox" where one twin travels at the speed of light while the other stays on Earth. The twin who travels at the speed of light would age significantly slower than the twin on Earth.
One of the potential dangers of traveling at the speed of light is the immense amount of energy required to reach that speed. It is estimated that it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate an object with mass to the speed of light. Additionally, objects traveling at such high speeds would encounter intense radiation and collisions with interstellar particles, which could pose a threat to the safety of the travelers and their equipment.