Ramirez's Learning Log 3

Ramirez's Learning Log 3

Name:Ramirez
Class:S1-01
Index Number:20

Source:https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jan/12/einstein-theory-of-relativity-speed-of-light

What I did:I was watching a Veretasium video and wondered if you could travel the speed of light,so I did some research.

What I learned: The speed of light is supposedly the ultimate speed limit.According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity,the speed of light in a vacuum is the same no matter what speed the observer is travelling at.This means that nothing should travel faster than light.One possible way is by creating an engine that can do 10,000 RPM in space with very high torque.While the engine spins,two tethers made of carbon nanotubes will be released from opposite sides of the motor after some time,each carbon nanotube reaches a length of 285 kilometers.Theorectically,at this point both tethers would be travelling at the speed of light.However,the problem is that a force called centripetal force is needed to pull the tethers to the center of the circle it is spinning in.The froce depends on the speed of the object squared.So if the speed is to fast,the tether would break.Even if you had a material that could withstand that force,at this point,the tip of the tehter would be travelling at 99% the speed of light.However,speeding up the tether an extra 1% more inertia will be generated,so it would need more force,which would increase the inertia again,this means that you would need an infinte amount of energy to get an object the speed of light,and since infinite energy is impossible,nothing can travel the speed of light.

Summary:Nothing can travel faster than light as it would need an infinite amount of energy to get an object travelling the speed of light.