According to Einstein’s formula, the distance X between 2 points A and B shrinks the faster you move.
At 50% of the speed of light the distance is only 0.866X, at 75% 0.66X, at 99% 0.14X and finally at the speed of light itself the distance between points A and B is zero. And the time it takes to travel between A and B is also zero. This means that when you travel at the speed of light, time and space do not exist.
The fact that something with mass cannot accelerate to the speed of light is irrelevant. An absolute truth must be valid always and everywhere, otherwise it is not an absolute truth. So if there is “something or someone” for which time and space do not exist, then time and space do not exist for anyone.
Light travels at the speed of light. So for light there is no time and space. So in absolute truth time and space would then exist for no one, and thus be merely a product of our consciousness.
Either time and space do not exist, or Einstein’s formula is not correct… Which of the 2 is it?
Answer
It depends on what you want to consider as ‘absolute truth’. Indeed, it used to be thought that ‘space’ and ‘time’ were absolute concepts, which was the same for all observers. However, one encounters unsolvable problems when going to high speeds. That is why we had to accept that time and length are not absolute, but dependent on the observer.
Answered by
Professor Walter Lauriks
Physics Acoustics
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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