Re: Faster than Light?
- From: "PD" <TheDraperFamily@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 20 Oct 2006 14:52:09 -0700
Peri of Pera wrote:
Faster than Light?
The theory of relativity claims that the motion of physical objects
cannot exceed a speed of 300,000km/sec. However, we know from
experience (e.g. equatorial rocket launchings, multistage rocket
vehicles etc) that the final velocity of objects is their starting
velocity plus their own velocity. There is no reason to believe a
maximum applies.
Actually, you don't know that from experience at all.
All you know is that it is at least *approximately* true from
experience, but that's using fairly sloppy measurements.
What we know from more careful experiments is -- egad! -- the final
velocity is not their starting velocity plus their own velocity at all.
What is instead true is that
v = (v1 + v2) / (1 + v1*v2/c^2).
However, when v1 and v2 are both small compared to c, then the *right*
answer is very difficult to distinguish from the convenient
*approximation*:
v = v1 + v2.
Now, just because this second equation gets the answer *almost* right,
doesn't mean that it *is* right.
PD
.
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