03-15-2005, 08:24 AM
Daemon,Mar 14 2005, 04:00 PM Wrote:What I was wondering was, if one was to (theoriticaly of course) build a contraption that would allow travel at and above the speed of light, would an effect analogous to the sonic boom occur?[right][snapback]70749[/snapback][/right]
Well, if you're asking whether it's possible to create a shock wave (or, for that matter, a contraption) that travels faster than the speed of light, the short answer is: no. (Unless there are radical changes in our understanding of physics.)
The "speed of light" is a bit of a misleading term with historical origins, since it represents a fundamental limit on the speed at which any information can propagate. It's a basic principle of all current physical theories (both classical and quantum) that causal effects can't propagate faster than the speed of light (EPR paradox, tachyons, geometric illusions, wormholes, and Star Trek, notwithstanding).