Perhaps a way to travel faster than the speed of light

[Nytteni]

I made a simple drawing, not sure if it looks any good and explainatory, but imagen you make an atmosphere sort of or a magnetic field in empty space like we have here on our planet and inside this field you make an explosion like an explosion inside a can or four walls, since you can`t really contain it, it`ll go outwards, right, but you keep making this field and set of an explosion inside of it, something would travel at the same speed as normal inside of it, but I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, they never tell you this, but if you set off something at 99 % of the speed of light in a vacuum, the walls itself around it would expand a little faster than that because it can`t really be slower than the expansion itself or exact at the same speed, so if you set of a series of explosion inside a box, you`d eventually go faster and faster and faster until you because of the momentum itself find yourself moving faster then the speed of light, yes I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, it can`t be the same speed so

 

[Ponderous Curmudgeon]

I made a simple drawing, not sure if it looks any good and explainatory, but imagen you make an atmosphere sort of or a magnetic field in empty space like we have here on our planet and inside this field you make an explosion like an explosion inside a can or four walls, since you can`t really contain it, it`ll go outwards, right, but you keep making this field and set of an explosion inside of it, something would travel at the same speed as normal inside of it, but I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, they never tell you this, but if you set off something at 99 % of the speed of light in a vacuum, the walls itself around it would expand a little faster than that because it can`t really be slower than the expansion itself or exact at the same speed, so if you set of a series of explosion inside a box, you`d eventually go faster and faster and faster until you because of the momentum itself find yourself moving faster then the speed of light, yes I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, it can`t be the same speed so

A not unreasonable conjecture, however I suggest that others have been there. For you, courses in upper level High School Physics and Math will help you to understand what is already known in this area.

 

[Yttrium]

I made a simple drawing, not sure if it looks any good and explainatory, but imagen you make an atmosphere sort of or a magnetic field in empty space like we have here on our planet and inside this field you make an explosion like an explosion inside a can or four walls, since you can`t really contain it, it`ll go outwards, right, but you keep making this field and set of an explosion inside of it, something would travel at the same speed as normal inside of it, but I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, they never tell you this, but if you set off something at 99 % of the speed of light in a vacuum, the walls itself around it would expand a little faster than that because it can`t really be slower than the expansion itself or exact at the same speed, so if you set of a series of explosion inside a box, you`d eventually go faster and faster and faster until you because of the momentum itself find yourself moving faster then the speed of light, yes I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, it can`t be the same speed so

That's the difference between Newtonian Mechanics and Relativistic Mechanics. Your trick there might work with Newtonian Mechanics. Although that would be a really... really big box. Really big. But then Relativistic Mechanics comes along and shows why Newtonian Mechanics is wrong about that.

Distances and speed are all relative. The side of the box is expanding relative to what? The center? The other sides? The explosions? You're saying that the explosions themselves are from objects moving at nearly the speed of light relative to something else, let's say an observer at the center. But the explosion is not traveling that fast relative to the wall. Relative to the explosion, the explosion pushes the wall out a bit faster. But because of relativity, the observer at the center doesn't see the wall pushed as fast.

In fact, the observer at the center sees the distances between the wall and explosion as shorter than the distance an observer on the wall measures to the explosion. As the wall and explosions get closer and closer to the speed of light relative to the center, those distances between wall and explosions keep getting shorter, and the speed increases keep getting smaller, and the wall never reaches the speed of light relative to the center.

It's freaky, but it works. We can measure relativistic effects in real life.

 

[Strathos]

Everyone knows that the proper way to travel faster than light is by opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty six point seven recurring.

 

[Ophiolite]

Everyone knows that the proper way to travel faster than light is by opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty six point seven recurring.

"But captain, a canna dae it, the dilithium crystals are turnin purple, I just canna gie yae a thirty six point seven."
"He's right Jim. This is parody, but not as we know it."

 

[Strathos]

"But captain, a canna dae it, the dilithium crystals are turnin purple, I just canna gie yae a thirty six point seven."
"He's right Jim. This is parody, but not as we know it."

Wrong series. That was a Doctor Who reference.

 

[Ophiolite]

Wrong series. That was a Doctor Who reference.

Original series, or re-launch? I didn't recognise it. I can imagine Tom Baker saying it.

 

[Strathos]

Original series, or re-launch? I didn't recognise it. I can imagine Tom Baker saying it.

David Tennant episode, actually.

 

[Ponderous Curmudgeon]

David Tennant episode, actually.

Was he riffing on Star Trek?

 

[Strathos]

Was he riffing on Star Trek?

The Doctor Who Transcripts - School Reunion

 

[Ophiolite]

David Tennant episode, actually.

Thank you. I've watched all the new series episodes multiple times, but that dialogue didn't register. Tennant would be my favourite Doctor from the relaunch and Hartnell from the original. First episode broadcast two days IIRC after the assassination of JFK and then again, ironically for a time travel program, the following week ahead of episode two.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I made a simple drawing, not sure if it looks any good and explainatory, but imagen you make an atmosphere sort of or a magnetic field in empty space like we have here on our planet and inside this field you make an explosion like an explosion inside a can or four walls, since you can`t really contain it, it`ll go outwards, right, but you keep making this field and set of an explosion inside of it, something would travel at the same speed as normal inside of it, but I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, they never tell you this, but if you set off something at 99 % of the speed of light in a vacuum, the walls itself around it would expand a little faster than that because it can`t really be slower than the expansion itself or exact at the same speed, so if you set of a series of explosion inside a box, you`d eventually go faster and faster and faster until you because of the momentum itself find yourself moving faster then the speed of light, yes I`m talking about the expansion of the walls itself, it can`t be the same speed so

I'll admit that my knowledge of physics is, to put it mildly, limited; but the problem as I understand it is that even if you did this, the closer one approaches c, the more energy is required until one reaches a requirement of infinite energy and the matter reaching c ends up filling up the entire universe--it must be in all places all at once. That is to say, there is no breaking the cosmic speed limit. Can't divide by 0, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[HeartNSoul19]

Realistically, according to our current understanding, the only way to travel faster than the speed of light would be to distort the space... imagine a piece of paper with two dots on the two sides, rather than travelling from the first to the second, you would fold the paper so the dots touch and move a tiny bit, then unfold the paper back to flat.

 

[Ophiolite]

Realistically, according to our current understanding, the only way to travel faster than the speed of light would be to distort the space... imagine a piece of paper with two dots on the two sides, rather than travelling from the first to the second, you would fold the paper so the dots touch and move a tiny bit, then unfold the paper back to flat.

In my very limited and possibly erroneous understanding the distortion of space you refer to would be related to the expansion of space that the universe appears to have been experiencing since the Big Bang, but on a local level. The hypothetical drive envisaged by Alcubierre, again according to my understanding, would expand space behind the vehicle and contract it in front achieving FTL displacement relative to the universe at large, but moving locally at well below c. (Perhaps not moving at all.)
I look forward to you, or others, correcting my kindergarten take on the subject.

 

[Yttrium]

Realistically, according to our current understanding, the only way to travel faster than the speed of light would be to distort the space... imagine a piece of paper with two dots on the two sides, rather than travelling from the first to the second, you would fold the paper so the dots touch and move a tiny bit, then unfold the paper back to flat.

Like the movie Event Horizon.

As I recall, this approach did not go well for them...

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

Realistically, according to our current understanding, the only way to travel faster than the speed of light would be to distort the space... imagine a piece of paper with two dots on the two sides, rather than travelling from the first to the second, you would fold the paper so the dots touch and move a tiny bit, then unfold the paper back to flat.

If I remember correctly, the amount of energy required to distort spacetime this way is rather high...