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From: wombat@ccvaxa.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: FTL travel
Message-ID: <1700006@ccvaxa>
Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 19:30:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccvaxa.1700006
Posted: Wed Jul 17 19:30:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Jul-85 02:21:39 EDT
References: <4683@mit-eddie.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:mit-eddie.UUCP:-468300:ccvaxa:1700006:000:1265
Nf-From: ccvaxa.UUCP!wombat    Jul 17 18:30:00 1985


/* Written  2:26 pm  Jul 13, 1985 by EVAN@SU-CSLI.ARPA in ccvaxa:net.sf-lovers */
I'm sure this shows a shocking naivitee on the subject of relativistic
physics, but this argument never made much sense to me.  So what if
the multiplier turns imaginary.  Imaginary numbers have rights too.

Evan Kirshenbaum
/* End of text from ccvaxa:net.sf-lovers */

Really! The subsonic aerodynamics equations will produce complex results if
you try to put supersonic speeds in them. So of course everyone used to say
that it was impossible to fly at supersonic speeds. The problem is that the
subsonic equations include implicit assumptions about such things as how
incompressible air is, and those assumptions do not hold for supersonic
speeds. If you use the correct equations, transonic and supersonic flight
are just dandy. It seems reasonable to me that the same sort of thing could
be true of faster-than-light speeds, i.e., we are making assumptions on this
side of the barrier about physical conditions on the other side that could
be quite wrong, but then I want to believe we can break the light barrier.

"When you are about to die, a wombat is better than no company at all."
				Roger Zelazny, *Doorways in the Sand*

						Wombat
					ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!wombat