Science Forums 2

[anonymous]

Hey Fatty, I’m not a physicist, but I’ve reached the same conclusion as you from my limited studies. I only found this web site because I was looking to see if others were discussing the very issue you raised. I was delighted to find that I wasn’t alone. From what I can piece together, travel would be "instant" for an object traveling at light speed.

According to the relativistic effect known as “length contraction,” the length between to points in space for an object in motion is shorter than the length between the same two points in space for an object at rest. This is because for an object in motion, distance between two points shrinks by a factor of gamma.

At 95% of the speed of light (.95c), gamma is about 3.2. So if the distance between two points of space is 100 light years for an object at rest, then for an object traveling at 95% of the speed of light, the distance between those same two points in space is only 31.25 light years (100/ 3.2).

At 100% of the speed of light (c), gamma is infinite (0). Therefore, running the same mathematical equation, if the distance between two points in space is 100 light years for an object at rest, then for an object traveling at 100% of the speed of light, the distance between those same two points in space is zero (100/0).

So, I believe that you are exactly right. For an object traveling at light speed, travel from any to points in the universe is essentially “instantaneous” because, for that object, there is no distance between any two points in the universe.

Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.