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From: robison@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Could someone explain why FTL is ill
Message-ID: <10800010@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Nov-84 00:09:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.10800010
Posted: Thu Nov 15 00:09:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Nov-84 08:33:44 EST
References: <327@mhuxt.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:mhuxt:-32700:uiucdcsb:10800010:000:890
Nf-From: uiucdcsb!robison    Nov  7 23:09:00 1984

The following argument is not quite complete:

> FTL is impossible due to the following:
> 1) As your velocity increases, your mass also increases. As you approach
>    the speed of light (SOL), your mass approaches infinity. At the SOL,
>    your mass would be infinite. Since, your mass can not be infinite,
>    you can not reach the SOL. Since you cann't reach the SOL, you
>    can not exceed the SOL.

The hidden assumption is that your initial velocity is less than C.
For a mass which comes into existence at a speed in excess of C,
then there is no problem, except that some quantities must be imaginary.
There was an article on this possibility in Scientific American sometime
(probably one or two decades ago).  For superluminal masses, C is a speed
limit in the other direction.  A mass traveling faster than light can
never slow down to speed below C.

Arch Robison @ uiucdcs