If we take the special theory of relativity it hinges on only this postulate.
The speed of light is the same for any inertial observer anywhere. There is no absolute "right" frame of reference.
Everything else is derived in varying ways from this.
Using the Lorenz transforms we discover that if the postulate is true then both time and length must change as the relative speed changes.
It brings into question the idea of "simultaneity". Or of the order of events as perceived by different observers.
The general theory is to do with gravity warping space time. i.e accelerated frames of reference.
So to disprove the first we need to find a situation in which the speed of light in free space is not c.
That has not been done.
What is being attempted is to show that there are situations that are not fully explained by this theory.
For example. If we accelerate any particle from rest it gains kinetic energy.
As such it gains mass. It gets harder to accelerate and gains still more mass and so on.
This makes it impossible to accelerate a particle, with mass, from rest to the speed of light.
Hence if it was possible to get a particle faster than the speed of light how did it get there without firstly requiring an infinite amount of energy to pass the light speed barrier?
Such a question does not disprove the theory, any more than Einstein's ideas made Newtons laws inapplicable.
We still use them and they still work.
Best to neither be premature in rejecting something, or too much of a believer in the absoluteness of an existing theory.
The speed of light is the same for any inertial observer anywhere. There is no absolute "right" frame of reference.
Everything else is derived in varying ways from this.
Using the Lorenz transforms we discover that if the postulate is true then both time and length must change as the relative speed changes.
It brings into question the idea of "simultaneity". Or of the order of events as perceived by different observers.
The general theory is to do with gravity warping space time. i.e accelerated frames of reference.
So to disprove the first we need to find a situation in which the speed of light in free space is not c.
That has not been done.
What is being attempted is to show that there are situations that are not fully explained by this theory.
For example. If we accelerate any particle from rest it gains kinetic energy.
As such it gains mass. It gets harder to accelerate and gains still more mass and so on.
This makes it impossible to accelerate a particle, with mass, from rest to the speed of light.
Hence if it was possible to get a particle faster than the speed of light how did it get there without firstly requiring an infinite amount of energy to pass the light speed barrier?
Such a question does not disprove the theory, any more than Einstein's ideas made Newtons laws inapplicable.
We still use them and they still work.
Best to neither be premature in rejecting something, or too much of a believer in the absoluteness of an existing theory.
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The theory of relativity is incomplete. It has been tested many many times and never failed. However, there are fundamental differences between it quantum mechanics, which has also been tested many times and shown to be true. For instance, relativity requires interactions to occur locally, while QM does not.
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ok here's the story.Einsteins theory postulates that nothing can move faster than light. the idea of this current story with CERN though, is that neutrinos as seen behaving in an experement, moved from the lab in europe, to an affiliate lab i think in philiedelphia faster than they were expected to,
this find apparently has garnered the idea that neutrinos, having little/no mass, can move at faster than relativistic speeds. if so then einstein would be proven wrong in his theory that "nothing" can move faster than light, in that neutrinos would move faster than protons.
this find apparently has garnered the idea that neutrinos, having little/no mass, can move at faster than relativistic speeds. if so then einstein would be proven wrong in his theory that "nothing" can move faster than light, in that neutrinos would move faster than protons.
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CERN, the European Organization of Nuclear Research, is working on such a project. They are creating or testing neutrinos, which are said to move faster than the speed of light.
Nothing has been finalized; more testing is being done in a lab in South Dakota.
Nothing has been finalized; more testing is being done in a lab in South Dakota.