Speed and time are directly linked to each other. How we determine how fast something is moving is to measure the distance traveled in an amount of time. You know like miles per hour or feet per second. So how fast can you possibly go? For me, it is only a couple of notches above a slow crawl, but for some things it isn't even limited to the speed of light! "Oh no", you may think, "all my science teachers were wrong. Can something really go faster than the speed of light?" Well, that depends.
The speed of light is a maximum limit on how fast things that we can measure go. Now, this brings to mind a few questions, one of which is "wouldn't the cops have to go faster than the speed limit of light to catch you if you broke the speed of light limit?" As most of you know, most highways in the U.S. have posted speed limits, but if you are from Texas, you know that some west Texas roads back in the day had no posted limit. The universe or multi-verse (which ever you believe is correct) has a way of breaking the speed limit of light.
How can that be, you may ask? "Expansion" is the answer. There is no set limit that we know of that covers expansion. So our universe or some other may be expanding faster than the speed of light.
OK, that may answer the speed question but what about time. Isn't time constant? No, it isn't. A couple of things affect time, mass and speed. Time slows down when near extreme forces of gravity like black holes and galaxy clusters. It has also been proven that time slows down the faster the clock is moving. Therefore, I must assume that time is closely related to speed and visa versa. OK, I have spent enough time boring you so will speed on out of here. I hope your universe today is full of joy and happiness. Have a good one, you hear?
The speed of light -not just a good idea, it's the law!
ReplyDeleteI belive it was Woody Allen who said it wasn't a good idea to go faster than the speed of light. Your hat keeps blowing off.
I keep hearing that there is nothing faster than the speed of light, but that sounds arrogant to believe that when there is so much we don't know. I think time should slow down for us who have passed the age of 65, but it keeps going at warp speed!
ReplyDeleteSixbears, yes, but expansion breaks the law and hasn't got a ticket yet. . .
ReplyDeleteGypsy, I am in my 70's and time is speeding up even more and I am slowing down even more. Where or where is the happy medium.
Time does seem to move faster the older I get! I can't even keep up with the day of the week any more!
ReplyDeleteH.J., Surely a young man like you doesn't have that problem. . .
ReplyDeleteBut who speeds up the time on weekends?
ReplyDeleteJill, the same one who speeds up time after one retires. When we were young, our brains ran real fast thus making time to go so slow. When we get old our brains slow down and thus we percieve time as going much faster.
ReplyDeleteI want to slow down time this week, school is out Friday. The end of my afternoon naps!
ReplyDeleteJill, I wonder what parents did before school came along and set them free. . . at least for part of the day? Enjoy your daughter, the nest will be empty soon enough.
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