speed of light...again

[usn_skwerl]

If this is in the wrong spot, forgive me!!!! I'm trying to be somewhat serious.<br /><br />We have basic knowledge:<br />1. light speed is the speed limit. <br />2. supposedly, we dont have the energy available to achieve C.<br /><br />If we built a ridiculously large mechanical device, something like a lever made of lightweight strong materials (like space age polymers), with the fulcrum near one end to increase torque. <br /><br />On the far end, a lightweight bungee line or spring is attached (again, made of polymers). At the free end of the bungee/spring is a payload. For this case, we'll go with something easy; 200 lbs.<br /><br />Just for scale and semi-silliness, visualize these components; lets use a bundle of 10 4-segment SRB's as the force to act on the lever. The lever looks like a...we'll say 2,000 mile long, asymmetric 2-bladed helicopter main rotor. On the short end of the lever (about 500 miles), the boosters, and on the other end (1,500 miles), the bungee and payload. The bungee could stretch to the moon, because we have the hold down mechanism there. <br /><br />Power of the boosters is about 3 million lbs of thrust for two minutes. Total is 30 million lbs. Resistance of the bungee could hypothetically be 5 million lbs.<br />I mentioned earlier that the payload is of 200 lbs. This could or could not include an ion drive. (which ever is easier to calculate)<br /><br />This set up is of ridiculous dimensions, granted, but once the potential energy is released, could it be possible to achieve C with such a massive device? <br /><br />Did I miss any detail?<br /><br />If not able to hit LS, how fast could this go? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[origin]

No. To the first question.<br /><br />As the end of the rotor approched relativistic speeds it's relativistic mass would increase. The mass increase at the end of the rotor would break the rotor.<br /><br />If it did not break the the increase in the mass would prevent the rotor from acclerating.<br /><br />That is assuming I understood your 'design' which I well may not have.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[usn_skwerl]

The lever, (the "rotor" would only rotate less than 180 degrees), would still remain significantly less than C. the primary thing approaching C in the set up is the bungee cord. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[origin]

In that case the bungie cord would increase in relativistic mass and break the apparatus or simply prevent the acceleration of the apparatus to less than c. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

Not to try to get this pitched to phenomena or anything, but as a simple answer - <br /><br />You'd require infinite energy and it would have infinite relatavistic mass. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[usn_skwerl]

Do you guys see why I posed the question, though? Like I said, the scales are stoopit big, but something a little less ridiculous can be built. A complex trebuchet or slingshot could cause an object to get a significant amount of speed, but the slingshot is far better with energy converted and used to go fast.<br /><br />I dont think I'd want to be anywhere near the fast side of the lever though... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[siarad]

You don't need all that apparatus such already exists in the form of particle accelerators, none of which have succeeded in getting even a microscopic electron up to lightspeed.<br />Why seems a mystery but also a fact with which we currently have to live.<br />Someday we may discover the secret of mass & space to help explain this but there will <i>always</i> be an unaswerable question