5 ms·

Why is 299.792.458 m/s instantaneous from your reference frame? Like the OP, I don't understand.

felipemnoa 14y ago
Within your own frame of reference time slows down the faster you move. This is why from your own frame of reference light seems to always be moving at c no matter how close to c you get. Once you get to c time will be frozen. So if you travel for an entire year at c to you it will look like it was instantaneous, it wasn't, you could say you were "unconscious" the entire time. Somebody from a different frame of reference will notice you traveling at the speed of light and will notice that you are frozen in time.
- capnrefsmmat 14y ago
  Careful. Within your own frame of reference, time always progresses at a normal rate. When you are traveling near the speed of light, distances contract; at the speed of light, all distances in the direction of travel would be zero. On the other hand, someone stationary watching you travel near the speed of light would say that your clock slows down more the faster you move, but lengths stay the same.
  - felipemnoa 14y ago
    >>Careful. Within your own frame of reference, time always progresses at a normal rate. You are correct. I don't think I said otherwise. I guess I should have been clearer, time slows down in the frame of reference traveling at c when looking at it from a different frame of reference. I'm sure we are saying the same thing. >>at the speed of light, all distances in the direction of travel would be zero. Yeah, but a person observing you in a different frame of reference won't see that. The fact that distances are zero is just another way of saying that time has slowed down in your frame of reference. Is just two faces of the same coin.
    - capnrefsmmat 14y ago
      > The fact that distances are zero is just another way of saying that time has slowed down in your frame of reference. Is just two faces of the same coin. Indeed. You can see this sort of effect in, say, the muon decay demo in my relativity simulator: http://www.refsmmat.com/jsphys/relativity/relativity.html http://www.refsmmat.com/jsphys/relativity/relativity.html The muon decay lifetime observations can be explained equally well in terms of time dilation or length contraction.
foxhill 14y ago
the speed of light, c, can be violated from your frame of reference, but the external observer doesn't see this - it's your perception of time that has slowed down. you reach the speed of light (from the perspective of an external observer) when your local velocity is infinite (and then all travel becomes instantaneous).
- capnrefsmmat 14y ago
  I'm not sure what this means. c cannot be exceeded in any frame of reference. Your "local" velocity is always zero -- you always measure your own speed with respect to yourself to be zero. From your perspective, reaching the speed of light causes all distances in the direction of travel to become zero. Your clock functions correctly and time travels at the ordinary pace. From a stationary observer's perspective, distances are the same but your clock has stopped.

Within your own frame of reference time slows down the faster you move. This is why from your own frame of reference light seems to always be moving at c no matter how close to c you get. Once you get to c time will be frozen. So if you travel for an entire year at c to you it will look like it was instantaneous, it wasn't, you could say you were "unconscious" the entire time. Somebody from a different frame of reference will notice you traveling at the speed of light and will notice that you are frozen in time.

capnrefsmmat 14y ago
Careful. Within your own frame of reference, time always progresses at a normal rate. When you are traveling near the speed of light, distances contract; at the speed of light, all distances in the direction of travel would be zero. On the other hand, someone stationary watching you travel near the speed of light would say that your clock slows down more the faster you move, but lengths stay the same.
- felipemnoa 14y ago
  >>Careful. Within your own frame of reference, time always progresses at a normal rate. You are correct. I don't think I said otherwise. I guess I should have been clearer, time slows down in the frame of reference traveling at c when looking at it from a different frame of reference. I'm sure we are saying the same thing. >>at the speed of light, all distances in the direction of travel would be zero. Yeah, but a person observing you in a different frame of reference won't see that. The fact that distances are zero is just another way of saying that time has slowed down in your frame of reference. Is just two faces of the same coin.
  - capnrefsmmat 14y ago
    > The fact that distances are zero is just another way of saying that time has slowed down in your frame of reference. Is just two faces of the same coin. Indeed. You can see this sort of effect in, say, the muon decay demo in my relativity simulator: http://www.refsmmat.com/jsphys/relativity/relativity.html http://www.refsmmat.com/jsphys/relativity/relativity.html The muon decay lifetime observations can be explained equally well in terms of time dilation or length contraction.

foxhill 14y ago

the speed of light, c, can be violated from your frame of reference, but the external observer doesn't see this - it's your perception of time that has slowed down. you reach the speed of light (from the perspective of an external observer) when your local velocity is infinite (and then all travel becomes instantaneous).

capnrefsmmat 14y ago
I'm not sure what this means. c cannot be exceeded in any frame of reference. Your "local" velocity is always zero -- you always measure your own speed with respect to yourself to be zero. From your perspective, reaching the speed of light causes all distances in the direction of travel to become zero. Your clock functions correctly and time travels at the ordinary pace. From a stationary observer's perspective, distances are the same but your clock has stopped.