Weird physics question

Gargamel · 11-15-10, 11:04 PM

Two ways to look at it:

1) Like sound under water, the energy in the string has a speed through a medium. It is slower than light. Hence we will see the light first.

or

2) The string can be considered a solid object when stretched to its maximum, ie no more stretch is possible. So when one end is pulled, the other end immediately moves too, and is therefore 'faster' than light. But this is not truly going faster than light, as nothing is moving from end to another, it's just an object beginning to move.

11-15-10, 11:04 PM	#10
Gargamel Lucky Sailor Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Rome Posts: 4,273 Downloads: 81 Uploads: 0	Two ways to look at it: 1) Like sound under water, the energy in the string has a speed through a medium. It is slower than light. Hence we will see the light first. or 2) The string can be considered a solid object when stretched to its maximum, ie no more stretch is possible. So when one end is pulled, the other end immediately moves too, and is therefore 'faster' than light. But this is not truly going faster than light, as nothing is moving from end to another, it's just an object beginning to move. __________________ Luck is a residue of Design.