Need some help with figuring something out

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ToRmEnToR
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Need some help with figuring something out

Postby ToRmEnToR » Sun Oct 09, 2005 2:56 pm

Let's say we have a spaceship flying at 90% of the speed of light. It than shoots a bullet that flys at half the speed for light. All this happens while they pass some guy that observes the whole situation. The bullet exits the spaceship just as the spaceship passes near the person.

How fast will the bullet apear to be flying from the person's point of view?
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Postby Ozymandias IV » Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:02 pm

Really really fast?
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Postby Mr. Roboto » Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:12 pm

I find it unlikely that the bullet will ever leave the ship, unless the bullet was fired out of the back of the ship or the ship was flying backwards when firing.

If either of the two, the bullet would appear to be going half as fast as the spaceship.
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Postby ToRmEnToR » Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:16 pm

Well reletive to the ship itself the bullet will fly at half the speed of light. After all, you can claim that the spaceship isnt moving at all and only the bullet exists the ship's hull at half the speed of light.
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Postby doormat » Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:11 pm

No, it won't, because that would give the bullet an absolute speed of 1.4 times the speed of light, which is quite plainly mad.
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Postby ToRmEnToR » Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:17 pm

why?
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Postby Stewsburntmonkey » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:05 pm

According to the theory of relativity the concept of distance for the person on the spaceship will be different from that of the of the observer traveling at a lesser relative speed. The concept of a meter relative to the spaceship will be smaller than what an outside observer would call a meter. Thus a bullet fired from the spaceship would travel at some speed (in meters per second) relative to the spaceship, in this case 25% of the speed of light. However to the outside observer the bullet would be traveling at some speed between that of the spaceship and the speed of light.
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Postby ToRmEnToR » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:13 pm

I'll have to ponder about that.
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Postby Deepsmeg » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:34 pm

This reminda my of the one of a ship going at 2c turns on its lights...

If we take it to a smaller scale, Bob can throw a ball at 50mph. A train travels along a line at 100 mph.
If Bob throws the ball whilst standing in a carriage of the train in direction of trvael, he will be throwing it at 50mph but it will be going at 150mph.

Now that that's out of the way, we go back to the bigger scale.
There is nothing that stops an object going ABOVE the speed of light, though you would end up dealing with our dear friend i.

The reason that you cannot travel at light speed is because of relativity; as you approach the speed of light, mass becomes inifinty and time approaches 0.

This is determine by this formula:

Code: Select all

mass = resting mass / sqr(1 - (velocity squared / c squared))


Let's put number in to this for an object with a mass of 1 and working instead of in mph in c.
Let us also say that our object is travelling at 50% lightspeed.

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.5^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.25 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.75)
m = 1 / 1.323
m = 0.7559

Ok, step up to 70% lightspeed

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.7^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.49 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.51)
m = 1 / 1.229
m = 0.8138

80%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.8^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.64 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.36)
m = 1 / 1.116
m = 0.8575

90%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.9^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.81 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.19)
m = 1 / 1.091
m = 0.9167

95%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.95^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.9025 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.0975)
m = 1 / 1.048
m = 0.9545

97%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.97^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.9409 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.0975)
m = 1 / 1.029
m = 0.9717

99%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((0.99^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(0.9801 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(1.0199)
m = 1 / 1.0099
m = 0.9901

100%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((1^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1-(1 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(0)
m = 1 / 0
m = DBZ

200%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((2^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1- (4 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(-2)
m = 1 / -1.41421i
m = 0.707


140%

Code: Select all

m = 1 / sqr(1-((1.4^2) - (1^2)))
m = 1 / sqr(1- (1.96 - 1))
m = 1 / sqr(0.04)
m = 1 / 0.2
m = 5



From this, I've found that there is a range between c and somewhere that i does not take effect, probably sqr(2) times the speed ofg light.




Anyway, in theory it's possible and stuff...
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Postby Quantum Particle » Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:26 pm

Except that the spaceship would have to have an imaginary mass, which is not necesairiy(sp?) impossible, but all the matter we are made up of is of real mass, and therefore would need infinity+n energy to surpass the speed of light; and even if you could manage that, you'd go backward in time.
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Postby Deepsmeg » Sun Oct 09, 2005 9:02 pm

I don't believe so.
The only problem I can see is that to get above 1c, you must hit c.
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Postby Darksun » Sun Oct 09, 2005 9:37 pm

Deepsmeg wrote:I don't believe so.
The only problem I can see is that to get above 1c, you must hit c.


Not if you refract a triangulating positron beam in a rotating frequency from the deflector dish while diverting power to the ion stabilisation reditributers!
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Postby Deepsmeg » Sun Oct 09, 2005 9:55 pm

But what about the ionic reflux from the midstate matter conversion matrix?
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Postby Darksun » Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:08 pm

Well, if you realign the dilithium crystals and boost structural integrity 37% it should hold for a few minutes
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Postby Delacroix » Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:52 pm

That's only if your neutrino flow positronic regulation device can withstand such quasi-neural pressure from such a course of action, which is doubtful due to the inherent flaws in the old bi-threaded particle deceleration design, as it was originally created for space-time particle flux apprehension at low sub-quantum levels.

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