🚀 go-pugleaf

Distribution-File:
        SPACE@ANDREW.CMU.EDU


SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 212

Today's Topics:

                Approaching c
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 89 09:28 EDT
From: "That's not lake Minnetonka..." <CALVIN%JHUIGF.BITNET@VMA.CC.CMU.EDU>
Subject: Approaching c

>        An object becomes more massive the faster it travels.
>        Since F=ma (Newton), an accelerating body requires more and more
>             force to keep accelerating it
>        At (near?) c, this force would become infinite, and thus, acceleration
>             past c is impossible
>        THEREFORE, c is the highest attainable speed by an accelerating body.
>
>Ok. One thing screams out to me, though. c is a finite number, being 3x10^8 m/s
>which all of you know. Then, why would the force required to accelerate a
>body past c be infinite if c isn't infinite? How can it be assumed that a
>body will become infinitely massive at c if c itself is not infinite, UNLESS
>one assumes, subtlely, that c already is the fastest attainable speed (that
>is, c is in effect, infinite).
>
>Thanks for your time, and again, I apologize if this question is either very
>simple, or has been beat to death in the past. I'ma new subscriber to this
>list.
>
>
>Damian Hammontree
>System Programmer
>Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD         (301) 327-2959
>DAMIAN@JHUIGF.BITNET
>CALVIN@JHUIGF.BITNET
>
------------------------------

Based on Damian's question, and being even "dumber" (or more ignorant on
the subject), I'll propose something even more radical, but a notion that
might be supported by his idea concerning "C"...

If ou follow the course of development, the speed of sound was a barrier
for a very long time; now we have broken the speed of sound.  A lot of
questions about doing that involed the effects of approaching that mark.

The spped of sound was a barrier - you could fly up to it, break it, &
cross over BUT NOT FLY AT IT.  Who says that the speed of light is not
similar?

Okay, you Physicists, you can eat me alive on this one. +:')  (i even put
the crosshairs on my forehead for you.)


                                        - Steve Hayhurst, HAYHURS@IUBACS
_________________________________________________________________________
|                                      : Steve Hayhurst, Indiana Univ.  :
: "ET TU NVIRII?" said the MacIntosh   : HAYHURS@IUBACS BITNET ADDRESS  :
: as it collasped into an endless loop :"I sent it, I guess that means  :
:                                      : I have to take the blame."     :
:______________________________________:________________________________: