Jobs & Education0 min ago
theoretical speed of light question
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If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.First we need to answer more fundamental questions like, "What caused the Big Bang?" Just reaching the speed of light in your vehicle ought to do it!
Never-the-less, contemplating and seeking the answer to such questions can be instructive and intriguing . . . provided you have nothing better to do with the rest of your life . . .
D'oh! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ <o/�\o>
Never-the-less, contemplating and seeking the answer to such questions can be instructive and intriguing . . . provided you have nothing better to do with the rest of your life . . .
D'oh! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ <o/�\o>
The answer is void, since the question makes no sense.
No massive object (and by that I mean object with mass) can travel at the speed of light. Hence, your vehicle can't travel at the speed of light.
However, you can imagine that your vehicle is travelling very close to the speed of light (but just less than). In this situation, turning on your headlights would result in your light beams travelling away from you at the speed of light, as usual (assuming you're sat in the car).
No massive object (and by that I mean object with mass) can travel at the speed of light. Hence, your vehicle can't travel at the speed of light.
However, you can imagine that your vehicle is travelling very close to the speed of light (but just less than). In this situation, turning on your headlights would result in your light beams travelling away from you at the speed of light, as usual (assuming you're sat in the car).
The person above is correct. The light would appear to you in the car to be moving away from you at the speed of light (3x10^8m/s). However to someone outside the car the light from the headlights would only move at the speed of light relative to them rather than double the speed of light as you would expect..
This is due to the special theory of relativity.
This is due to the special theory of relativity.
This question often draws the response that nothing with mass can travel at the speed of light.
OK change the question - to what if a mass-less particle travelling at the speed of light emits a photon.
But wait a minute - the emission of photons is associated with charged particles - an accelerating charge emits radiation, an electron jumps shell and emits a photon.
There are no mass-less charged particles, sure there are massive particles that are neutral but no mass-less particle has an electric charge.
I suspect there is a deeper significance to that
OK change the question - to what if a mass-less particle travelling at the speed of light emits a photon.
But wait a minute - the emission of photons is associated with charged particles - an accelerating charge emits radiation, an electron jumps shell and emits a photon.
There are no mass-less charged particles, sure there are massive particles that are neutral but no mass-less particle has an electric charge.
I suspect there is a deeper significance to that