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starship-design: Time, Relativity, FTL, etc.



I'll be hung for this, nevertheless:

One must be extremely careful when examining such issues as time and Faster-than-Light travel. Three possibilities exist, I am a supporter of the last:

A. Time exists in one manifestation: Relative. In other words, all observers have the correct interpretation of events, meaning nothing is as it seems to be, from a certain point of view.

B. Time is absolute. This is an extremely difficult theory to support, and thus I don't consider it valid, since time dilation has been observed, and the famous Michaelson-Morley experiment.

C. Time is both absolute and relativistic. Time acts precisely the same as in relativity, but a preffered frame of reference exists that preserves causality at superluminal velocities. If anyone doesn't understand this, I'll explain it in more detail.

Both the first and third present valid explanations of space-time. The only reason the first was chosen is because of Occam's Razor a scientific(?) law that states: "the simpler of two explanations is the correct one". (even though it has proven wrong on many occasions...).

It would be extremely arrogant and reminiscient of the clerics who tormented Galileo and Copernicus to say that one theory is the say all and end all answer to space-time. Even Wheeler and Taylor in _Spacetime Physics_ admitted that the third theory is a possibility, and I respect them for that. If FTL effects are observed, relativity may need revision. Then again, there may be some way to keep relativity and allow causal FTL. We just don't know.

I realize I'm stealing this quote and changing it a bit, but its a pretty good one:
"Thousands of years ago, people KNEW earth was the center of the universe, hundreds of years ago, everyone KNEW the earth was flat, about a hundred years ago, everyone KNEW heavier than air flight was impossible. Think of what you'll KNOW tommorow."

Just my two cents,
Kyle Randall Mcallister
Email: stk@sunherald.infi.net
Phone: 228-875-0629
Fax: 228-872-5837