Buying the Einstein Theory of Time?
Most recent answer: 06/25/2009
Q:
I'm not buying Einstein's theory on time. If "time" stops at the speed of light, wouldn't light also stop. Isn't light dependent on time? thanks.
- jon ragan (age 41)
rogers, ar. u.s.a.
- jon ragan (age 41)
rogers, ar. u.s.a.
A:
You say "I'm not buying Einstein's theory on time." But Einstein was not selling any sort of product that you are suggesting .
Your claim that 'time stops at the speed of light' is not part of Special Relativity. SR deals with how to translate the physical pictures from one reference frame to another. Each of the reference frames it deals with is moving at less than c, as seen by any of the others. So it has nothing to say about what happens from the point of view of a frame moving at c with respect to us.
It is true that when Einstein was young, he wondered what things would like from the viewpoint of a light ray. That got his train of thought going, but ended up not being one of the questions he answered. It may not have an answer.
Mike W.
Your claim that 'time stops at the speed of light' is not part of Special Relativity. SR deals with how to translate the physical pictures from one reference frame to another. Each of the reference frames it deals with is moving at less than c, as seen by any of the others. So it has nothing to say about what happens from the point of view of a frame moving at c with respect to us.
It is true that when Einstein was young, he wondered what things would like from the viewpoint of a light ray. That got his train of thought going, but ended up not being one of the questions he answered. It may not have an answer.
Mike W.
(published on 06/25/2009)