aaarrrghhhhhh! u astrophysical n00bs!
NOTHING can travel faster than light. any speculation about stuff that might, like tachyons, is exactly that, pure speculation. in fact, it's fiction!
In our universe the speed of light is a constant, and a barrier that cannot be broken.
Folding space or warping is the only ftl theory that has any intellectual credence but it doesn't postulate travel faster than light, it just brings 2 points together at the same time, so it isn't actually travelling ftl. See the film Event Horizon for a decent explanation of this.
yes, the speed of light as calculated by Einstein and his contemporaries was somewhat inaccurate, modern technology corrected this value in the mid 60s, but general relativity remains, thank you very much.
Gravity is NOT faster than light. it is yet uncertain as to whether gravity is a force per se or merely an effect caused by mass in the space-time continuum. The attempts to bring together a unified field-theory are partly trying to prove that gravity is indeed a force like light, or x-rays, whatever. being able to quantify gravity as a force in this respect would solve a lot of mathematical problems in advanced astrophysics, unf. it (the purely theoretical particle called graviton) yet eludes mathematicians and physicists. plz remember that a lot of this stuff exists only as hypotheses that solve certain mathematical problems - that does not mean they actually do exist in nature.
Gravity can be so strong and overwhelming that it can overcome even the speed of light; that's what a black hole actually is, the intense gravity field of a singularity that is so powerful even light can't escape it so therefore u can't see anything that goes on inside this gravitational field, hence the term "event horizon." Black Holes are detected by the EM output of the stuff that falls into them as its getting ripped to bits B4 it reaches the event horizon; of themselves black holes are undetectable.
it might be possible to travel to another part of the universe or even another dimension using blackholes as gateways but u would have to enter one at virtually the speed of light, in which case relativity would already have taken it's toll on ur time, and u would have to be in an incredibly tough ship to withstand the tidal forces and radiation. u'd also have to go into a spinning one and via the poles, oh yeh, u'd have no idea where u'd end up even IF u survived, which u wouldn't, but to be fair u wouldn't know u were dying, because ur last moment would last forever, as far as u were concerned.
Time, like speed, is relative. Time cannot be altered, it flows one way, and to suggest u can slow down or speed up time is fallacious. u can however affect the PERCEPTION of time. travel near enough to the speed of light and for u time slows down, for an external observer and the rest of the univers the experience of time remains the same. I love the ideas of travelling though time, but unf. any real time travellers will be heading on a one way trip to the future via space podule.
so take it as read. No FTL, no time travel, can't be done, makes for great sf though.
Edited by - Tawakalna on 23-11-2003 13:43:44