Light (or electromagnetic radiation) has the highest speed possible in the Universe. It is approximately equal to three hundred thousand kilometers per second. Therefore since that moment how it was measured, interested scientists whether the device created by the person to such speed can accelerate?
Instruction
1. Any moving object can change the speed only if it is affected by a certain force. Then he will experience acceleration. Than it is more, that speed will quicker change. Nevertheless, in terms of classical mechanics, permanent acceleration can increase body speed to as much as great values. Thus, apparently, the spaceship can reach the speed of light or even to surpass it. The main thing that it had enough fuel, space and time for dispersal.
2. The theory of relativity created by Albert Einstein makes amendments to this theory. According to its formulas, the body speed is closer to the speed of light, the it is more difficult to increase it even more. The mass of quickly moving body begins to increase, and at dispersal to the speed of light has to turn into infinity. Therefore any object having weight cannot move at the speed of light.
3. Photons (smallest particles of light) have no weight. However they transfer not only energy, but also an impulse, so, can transfer the movement. Based on this fact, scientists of the twentieth century put forward the idea of the photon engine. The powerful stream of light proceeding from a starprobe vehicle will push, according to the law of jet propulsion, it forward. And as the speed of this stream is equal to the speed of light, the photon starprobe vehicle will be able to fly almost also quickly. However force of reactive draft created by light is very small. If to use only it, dispersal of a starprobe vehicle would continue centuries. Therefore it was offered that the ship came to a certain initial speed by means of more traditional jet engines, and the photon beam would join only for the mid-flight movement.
4. Though the speed of light cannot be surpassed, the way to overtake light nevertheless exists. The fact is that light moves with the greatest possible speed only in a clean vacuum. In any other environment it slows down, and is sometimes very strong. Passing light through specially prepared substances, scientists reduced its speed to dozens of kilometers per hour. At last, having used the rubidium vapors cooled almost to absolute zero, light managed to be given almost to a full stop. The photons which flew in this substance would come to light only through for many years.