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Special Relativity of 1905, as discussed above, is based on the idea that the speed of light is the same, no matter who measures it, as long as you move smoothly and do not accelerate. This violates Newton's common sense notion that there is nothing special about the speed of light. Hence, something has got to give. So, our common sense notion of the universe must change if light speed is the same no matter how we measure it, whether it is coming toward us, away from us, or sideways. What gives is space-time. Hence:
- Time gets slower in a rocket ship as it goes faster.
- You get heavier as you approach light speed.
- You get squeezed the faster you move.
All of the effects above have been observed. For example, our GPS satellites slow down a bit as they whiz overhead, just as Einstein predicted. There is also cosmic waves and particle accelerators that are also used to verify this fact.
If you get heavier the faster you move, then the energy of motion has turned into mass. The precise amount of kinetic energy that turns into mass is easily calculated using relativity (the derivation is 1 line long) and that result is the most celebrated equation in science, E = mc2.
So why is light speed the maximum speed in the universe? As you approach the speed of light, bizarre things begin to happen such as:
- Time Stops
- You are Infinitely Heavy
- You are Infinitely Thin
If you exceed the speed of light, then you get nonsense such as:
- Time Might go Backwards
- You are Heavier than the Universe
- You have Negative Width
M. Kaku Link
