Re: lawless physics (fwd)

["Richard W. Tarara" <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

While I understand your point, I'm not sure of it's relevance.  That is, an
obvious situation for discussing these ideas is within the 'fictional'
background of a 'Star Trek' type future--or more simply, human colonization
of the Galaxy.  Within that framework, the 'reality' of the Speed Limit of
light becomes crucial.  While it may be true that you or I could journey to
the other side of the Galaxy (technical problems with near light travel
aside), the visions from science-fiction of humans filling the Galaxy within
centuries simply doesn't work, and primarily because of _c_.  No real-time
communications and the near future limits on attainable speed suggest that a
_realistic_ scenario would be eventual colonization of nearby planetary
systems (if found) directly from earth, millennia of 'local' development on
these colonized planets, and then further colonization based from those
planets outward.  An Asimov style Galactic Empire with millions of planets
filled with humanity would then take many-many millennia to accomplish.  The
situation _could_ be much different with faster than light
travel/communications, much more on the order of the various science-fiction
scenarios (either with or without intelligent 'aliens'.)  In my mind, these
are the questions students will have concerning relativity and the speed of
light rather than the more esoteric concerns as to whether one can really
define velocity in relativistic space/time.

-----Original Message-----
From: John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPomona.Edu>
To: phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu <phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu>
Cc: AJMALLINCKRO@CSUPomona.Edu <AJMALLINCKRO@CSUPomona.Edu>
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 1998 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: lawless physics (fwd)


> On Mon, 16 Mar 1998, Bob Sciamanda wrote:
>
> > I would add that there is a restriction on getting from one "event" to
> > another;  something which might well "possibly matter to an individual".
> > A space traveler leaving earth might well be interested in what earth
> > events he can return to, for example.
>
> Bob,
>
> Of course you are right.  When one departs from home at high
> relative speed for any appreciable amount of time (with
> "appreciable" approaching zero as the relative speed approaches
> c!), one forfeits the ability to return within the life span of
> loved ones.  I illustrate this point in class as part of a
> discussion of what life might be like if the speed of light were
> 60 mph.  Kiss your spouse goodbye in the morning, get on the
> freeway to go to work, and when you return that evening ...