If you spin a propellor...

iamdjdz · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:42

...at the speed of light (assume for the sake of argument that it's a 3 blade, black propellor - and that spinning it at the speed of light is possible) do you see:

a) Nothing - ie. see through like what you see when you normally see a propellor?

or

b) An opaque black circle - ie. the blades are spinning so fast no light can get through?

I think B personally.

Viper² · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:43

How would you EVER find the answer out to that?

Tefal · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:44

Viper² said:
How would you EVER find the answer out to that?

I think if you sit down and bother to draw it out and find the right equations etc you can actually work it out but I doubt anyone could be arsed.

Nymins · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:45

Personally i thought it would look like they aren't moving at all. Dunno why though!

Blackvault · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:45

Viper² said:
How would you EVER find the answer out to that?

Be right back.....

Blackvault

iamdjdz · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:45

Viper² said:
How would you EVER find the answer out to that?

I dunno - I mean just assume it's possible.

I just thought about it on the prop plane home tonight and couldn't work out a definative answer so I thought I'd ask everyone on here (for a laugh mainly but also would be interested in any real theories).

Fegruson · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:46

I don't think you would see anything. At the speed of light, I reckon whatever it is attached to is going places.

PhillyDee · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:46

Viper² said:
How would you EVER find the answer out to that?

It would be classed as a physics thought experiment.

My answer is

c) Who cares.

Aedus · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:48

You'd see nothing, if you took a picture of it though you'd see a black circle I guess.

Sinque · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:48

iamdjdz said:
...at the speed of light (assume for the sake of argument that it's a 3 blade, black propellor - and that spinning it at the speed of light is possible) do you see:

a) Nothing - ie. see through like what you see when you normally see a propellor?

or

b) An opaque black circle - ie. the blades are spinning so fast no light can get through?

I think B personally.

Light doesn't need to get through, it just needs to bounce off.

Aman · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:49

Send it into mythbusters

problem solved

Tefal · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:49

Sinque said:
Light doesn't need to get through, it just needs to bounce off.

the propeller is painted black.

If no light comes through from behind it will appear as a black disk (yes light is bouncing off the front but it will still look black) if light comes from behind it will not be black but slightly see through just like a normal propeller.

Stupot_ · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:50

Yeh light would get through. At a point in time, there will be light travelling through the gaps in the props, and light hitting the props. regardless of how fast they're spinning.

Maybe compare it to sound waves. propellor spinning at the speed of sound - can sound get through?

Also.... If the tips of the blades are spinning at the speed of light, then the centre of the propellor would be going slower, and stuff could definately get through... If the centre was going at the speed of light, then the tips would be exceeding it.. no? Which cant happen.

I reckon.

Spyhop · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:50

Which part of the propellor is moving at the speed of light? The closer they are to the edge, the more distance the atoms are covering per second.

Squark · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:50

Which part of the propeller? Are you talking tip speed?

In order for the whole propeller area to be spinning faster than c, the tip speed would have to exceed c

Cyanide · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:54

I don't know but maybe the answer can be found by nuking Argentina and invading France?

Bennie-Mac · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:55

I assume if you spun a propeller at the speed of light, it would fly away.

Blackvault · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:55

Blackvault said:
Be right back.....

Blackvault

Just knocked up a quick prototype and the result is I couldn't care!

Blackvault

Nix · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:57

Blackvault said:
Just knocked up a quick prototype and the result is I couldn't care!

Blackvault

Stupot_ · 27 Feb 2010 at 00:59

Blackvault said:
Just knocked up a quick prototype and the result is I couldn't care!

Blackvault

RUDE!

Hey... I could probably just go read you poker thread... But... is there any way you can spectate games before joining in? I'm slightly tempted to give it a bash but might want to take a look and see whats happening before hand.

Ta!