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Re:What Movies Get Wrong About Time Travel by doki_pen on Friday August 14, 2009 @02:23PM (#763538)
Is it just me, or does the concept of "near speed of light" not make any sense? I was under the impression that light travels at a constant speed no matter how you are moving. And also, since there are no absolute coordinates, the concept of moving only make sense in relation to other things. Isn't it impossible to move "near speed of light"? Isn't light always going to move C faster then you?
Re:What Movies Get Wrong About Time Travel by twilightsentry on Friday August 14, 2009 @04:06PM (#763734)
> Isn't light always going to move C faster then you?

Yes.

> Isn't it impossible to move "near speed of light"?

From your perspective, you'll always be slower than light by C. Your speed relative to another observer, however, can be arbitrarily close to C.

In classical mechanics, your speed relative to the other observer could add to C, resulting in "your" light, from her point of view, traveling faster than C. To avoid that discrepancy, special relativity postulates that her (or your, depending on the POV) movement through time is slowed until you both agree that light is moving at precisely C.

Re:What Movies Get Wrong About Time Travel by evgen on Friday August 14, 2009 @04:05PM (#763729)
"Near the speed of light" carries with it the implicit disclaimer of "relative to a stationary observer" (that is why the theory has the word "relativity" in its name :)

Light travels at C (through a vacuum) regardless of your frame of reference, so it used as the comparator for speed/velocity among different frames of reference.

Re:What Movies Get Wrong About Time Travel by pbhjpbhj on Saturday August 15, 2009 @09:59AM (#764746)
The speed of light in a vacuum being [constantly and universally] constant is an axiom (ie assumption, belief) of special relativity so it applies to inertial frames of reference.

So, strictly it is not "regardless of your frame of reference". Accelerating frames, eg rotating or accelerating (eg under gravity where General relativity applies) require special treatments.