If a car travels at the speed of light and turns headlights on what happens?

Phnom_Penh said:
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No it isn't. Its change in velocity.
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Physics. The rate or a measure of the rate of motion, especially:
- Distance traveled divided by the time of travel.
- The limit of this quotient as the time of travel becomes vanishingly small; the first derivative of distance with respect to time.
- The magnitude of a velocity.

Therefore as a magnitude, a corresponding change therein would constitute acceleration.

Velocity is the combination of speed and direction, a change in either constituent would create a form of acceleration.
 
And acceleration = (V - U)/T.

Pudney@work said:
Velocity is the combination of speed and direction, a change in either constituent would create a form of acceleration.
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You've kind of answered what I said, acceleration is change in velocity. Not speed.
 
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I've thought about it a bit (not nessicarily with the headlights on) and came to the (i'm sure completly wrong) conclusion that the car would become invisible due to it going faster than the light bouncing off of it, to observers in front, and you would end up with a "light boom" in a cone shape behind the car, simular to a sonic boom. All those victim to this "light boom" would be blinded by it and possibly incinerated :D.

Completly wrong i'm sure but its a hell of a lot of fun to think about :p
 
b (thats it) said:
I've thought about it a bit (not nessicarily with the headlights on) and came to the (i'm sure completly wrong) conclusion that the car would become invisible due to it going faster than the light bouncing off of it, to observers in front, and you would end up with a "light boom" in a cone shape behind the car, simular to a sonic boom. All those victim to this "light boom" would be blinded by it and possibly incinerated :D.

Completly wrong i'm sure but its a hell of a lot of fun to think about :p
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Utterly wrong. Go and stand in the corner.
 
Phnom_Penh said:
V-U = delta V.
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For non-zero delta t, yes. If delta T is not tending towards zero then you're rtalking about average acceleration, since it is measured over a period of time, as i said.
 
Phnom_Penh said:
And acceleration = (V - U)/T.


You've kind of answered what I said, acceleration is change in velocity. Not speed.
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Yeah, I'm trying to avoid doing work at the mo. What I should say, is that a change of speed is acceleration, as a changing speed means there's a changing velocity, but a changing velocity doesn't mean there's a changing speed. Or sommit.

I want to go home.... :(
 
Visage said:
For non-zero delta t, yes. If delta T is not tending towards zero then you're rtalking about average acceleration, since it is measured over a period of time, as i said.
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lol, I only do Alevel physics :p
 
hendrix said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light

Go read
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Taken from Wiki Pedia! The Worlds most OFFICIAL website for Encylopedia type things!

Hold on, i'm just going to create a page on how Flying Pigs are real but are not infact pink! Because you see, they can travel at the speed of light....therefore they appear Blue!

The internet is NOT vetted! Why do people rely on its information so much?? Yes, if two or more sources reveal similar theories / information then fine! until then, stop redirecting people to junk websites!

/end rant! :mad:
 
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