Places to visit? Maybe so.
updated Jan 17, 2009 | How to reach stars in real time with today's technology (hello Einstein)?Accelerate any way you can away from Earth (and other large masses in Sol system). Once clear of large masses, continue accelerating until speed of light is reached and exceeded. Make a journey of many light years in real time.This apparently appears to violate the Special Relativity, which states that nothing can travel faster than light, that mass will increase to infinity etc. But it may not be so. Why can speed of light be exceeded far from large masses?The answer is in the nature of time. Imagine you are a student of physics and you're about to learn Special and General theory of relativity. They explain how rate of time changes with speed and (gravitational) acceleration.But just before you open the Relativity textbook, step back and think about time, and about change in time. Think about fundamental nature of what does it mean to change the flow of time. Think about the laws governing change of flow of time, regardless of what the origins of that change are. What is in question is the change in flow of time itself, regardless of its origin. Forget about Einstein or Special and General relativity. Imagine that you just know that change in flow of time happens with velocity and acceleration. What is the law that governs the change itself, independent of velocity and acceleration? Note that question is not 'what causes the change'? The cause is velocity and acceleration, but it's not the nature of time change. Do you see the difference? You can cause the object to move by pushing it, but you are not the law governing that movement. You are just the cause. You can think that Earth makes the apple fall, which it does. But it's really the gravity that is the law. In short, we say that change in flow of time is the phenomenon that exists on its own, and is governed by its own laws, regardless of why it happens. The FTL theory establishes change in flow of time in terms of probability to measure moment of a random event. When you start thinking this way, the time dilation (as described by any theory, including Special and General relativity) gets a new 'corrective' factor, to account for the nature of time. This new corrective factor (called time factor), accounts for the fundamental notion of time. This is why FTL theory has nothing to do with Einstein's relativity. It comes before it, and simply provides corrective time factor to any formula for change in time. This corrective factor predicts that near large masses Einstein's theories (both Special and General!) work as we know they do. There is no change there. But away from large masses, they no longer do. The confusion often arises because General relativity describes change in time due to presence of mass. General relativity has nothing to do with fundamental nature of time. It just describes a cause of time dilation. The time dilation itself depends on masses and distances between objects in an independent way that describes time dilation regardless of the cause. Incidentally, the effect of FTL theory are very small on General relativity because masses of objects figure in both theories. It is the Special relativity where difference is truly pronounced. It's all about the cause of the phenomenon versus the nature of it. In short, FTL theory comes to a conclusion that relativistic effects (such as time dilation or mass increase) are local phenomena, which dissipates with distance and depends on masses of objects where time is measured. Again, please don't confuse this with General relativity, as it has absolutely nothing to do with it. Why hasn't anyone tried to build a probe to accelerate past the speed of light?Because Einstein said it was impossible, and all the scientist who came after him accepted that as an absolute truth.It can be tried, and it could have been tried by now. The question is how to build a propulsion system that can provide sustained acceleration to reach and exceed speed of light while keeping the occupants of the craft well and sound. The good news is that such task would no longer have insurmountable conceptual barriers. About FTL theoryFTL theory postulates that change in time due to speed or acceleration (as explained in Special and General theory of relativity) is tied to the probability that time of random event can be measured equally in all frames of reference. The FTL theory comes before Special and General theory of relativity. It examines the fundamental nature of time. This is neat because then there is no need to discuss Einstein's (or anybody else's) formulas for dilation of time. They are not in question. FTL theory simply provides a correcting factor for time dilation. Therefore, if you expect a debate on Einstein's formulas, this isn't the place. The FTL theory agrees with observed facts. It also says that a spaceship not so far from Earth will be able to exceed speed of light simply by accelerating. This may be a disappointment to fans of wormholes, hyperspace or warp drive. The theory is quite simple and doesn't require extensive knowledge of physics. It's all about time. Take the time to read it. The more people know about it, the better. So tell your friends. FTL is as brand new thinking as you can get. You can almost feel the new car smell. FTL theory says there is a chance to move out of good ol' Earth and have fun out there on bunch of other green planets without wearing a spacesuit. Who knows? |