If Einstein's theory of special relativity is correct, why does light still take time to travel when if time stopped the light would technically be instantly at the location it's heading?

Question

anonymous · Answer

P.S. my reasoning behind this question and where i thought of it was thinking about how stars could already be gone even though we can see it because the light takes time to reach us. Now with that thought i started thinking about the theory of special relativity and how everyone's saying if you go the speed of light time will be stopped for the duration you are going the speed of light (at least in the eyes of the people going the speed of light) but if time would stop than how does it even take light any time to reach us at all? If time would stop that'd have to mean the speed of light is instantly reaching any object the light can reach but that's not the case. I have been researching this for weeks now and still don't understand how this hasn't ever been a question.

anonymous · Answer

@magicremix123

anonymous · Answer

@Loser66 Please help me out with this. I'll even discuss it if you don't fully it get it either and we can try to come to a conclusion.

anonymous · Answer

The stars very well could be gone by time that the light rays reach us. If our sun were to suddenly disappear, we wouldn't even see the effects for another 8 minutes! Time doesn't ultimately stop -- it only stops for the object that travels that speed. So if some random person travels at the speed of light, time completely stops for him but not for everyone else. So perhaps from "light's" point of view, it travels instantly, but for our perspective it takes time. It's a very interesting paradox that you have set up there. 

I feel like @IrishBoy123 @Michele_Laino @Astrophysics would have some important points to share about this topic! It's definitely a good one for socratic discussion X)

anonymous · Answer

Thank you so much simply for that comment and yes, anyone else who has input on this subject, i would love to hear it. I didn't even think of it as a paradox but from that perspective it's a lot easier to comprehend and take in so thanks again.

anonymous · Answer

Im sorry, i didnt see your tag, i am tagged in so many thing that i cant keep track, well at least your helped :)

anonymous · Answer

Well it still is open for discussion if you have anything to say. Also don't worry about it haha.

irishboy123 · Answer

the passage of time in the eyes of the people going to the speed of light would be totally "normal" in their reference frame.  

it is their stationary observor that would think they were living in slow motion.

both should have and equal and opposite view of the outside world in inertial ref frames.

anonymous · Answer

i don't think you're fully understand what i'm stating though. The theory states that if you can reach the speed of light time would stop well you are at the speed of light (so for a 3rd person viewer one person would be moving at high speeds while everyone else is stopped completely) but if this is the case than light would be instantly at locations it will reach sooner or later. The theory isn't even a case of perspectives. It states that for the person going the speed of light time WILL be stopped. This though doesn't add up obviously. I honestly think that we as a society haven't truly measured the speed of light (i mean i think we might have a flaw in calculations). I know everyone talks about perspectives and it would seem like time was stopped but time wouldn't be, it'd just seem like it, but again, everyone i've heard speak or explain or write the explanation behind it state that time will stop, not seem stopped.

anonymous · Answer

interesting.

dariusx · Answer

$$T = \frac{ To }{ \sqrt{1 - (\frac{ v }{ c })^2} }$$

the difference of time is only noticeable when speed v is near speed of light c

you say that the time would stop if we were to travel at the speed of light and this equation confirms that

i think there's a rule saying nothing can travel faster than light but i'm not sure about travelling at the speed of light

dariusx · Answer

$$mc^2/\sqrt{(1-v^2/c^2)}$$

this equation shows that you CANNOT travel at the speed of light because it would require an infinite amount of energy

only particles with no mass can travel at the speed of light

anonymous · Answer

Actually it probably is a perspective thing?Im not sure if i got your question.Considering a body at light's speed surrounded by ,say,human speed ,such would see everything around so agonizingly slow that it would appear that everything stopped,and time being a measure relative to the speed that things are done-probably the most common,rotations(year/day/night...),for instance-it would stop .At the body's perspective,everything would be so slow that time would seem to stop-there would be no movement to regulate such measure,a hug that takes some seconds,shifting feet while walking,munching some food...so we say that it has stopped.Time stopping means that all would stop where are,but time uses to be relative to us,our human actions,so ,if human time stops,theres no difference to light,cause she is so fast that only her seems to be moving,then she would continue to travel normally,untill reached its destination.Human eye would see the light immediately in its destination,the human time is always stoic for light's speed,ut our perception of her would miss the way she made until there-all things stoppping means also our perception stopping,3rd person human view,the perception of time would not exist,for no movement being there to mark it,so when light reaches the destination,many minutes may have passed,but with movement slowing really down our perception also does,then we just notice the light rays when also,as us,it has stopped for reaching its destination,wich would have truly happened only when light had also reached its destination,then it would stop?Im probably cheating,anyways,time stopping would be:human perspective time stops,light keeps traveling-human time is always null for light's perspective-therefore is always in movement ,unless when talking about light perspective,light reaches destination,light time stops,there's no more need to travel,human 3rd person perspective saw that light instantly travelled when time stopped,for time had really just stopped when human and light's velocity's perspective time stopped,so when light time stopped cause if it stops then human's also does,and that would take a human while,so when time really stops human see the light in another place instantly,that is named as the light's destination?

anonymous · Answer

`such would see everything around so agonizingly slow that it would appear that everything stopped,and time being a measure relative to the speed that things are done-probably the most common,rotations(year/day/night...)` I think that if we travel at the speed of light, everything becomes slow. But everything slows at the same rate, so we don't perceive this change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev9zrt__lec

anonymous · Answer

yeah

anonymous · Answer

i didnt read all of that kanaya haha but yes i agree with what i did read. i believe everything would simply appear stopped but as darius said, the equation states that if we could reach the speed of light time would stop, not appear stopped. Thank you everyone for your input. Glad to know so many brilliant minds are on openstudy