Did you ever wonder...

[Farrowlesparrow]

...if a long pole could transfer information faster than light?

I've often though about this, (usaually why it wouldn't work in real life).

If you had a large pole...let us say this pole is a trillion miles long. It is constructed of a new material unknown to man. This material does not suffer the effects of compresing under tremendous preassure. Now...if I were to push this pole, back and forth perhaps even "tapping" out morse code. Surely someone standing at the other end would see their end move...before they would be able to see me push it. In fact, at that distance it would be some time before they saw me push it, but thats irrelevant. My point is, that I could give information to someone at the end of the pole faster than light :O Technically, it should only take a finite amount of energy to move this pole? I suppose though, in reality the other end simply wouldn't "feel" the force for a while...still its nice to think about it.

 

[Sprafa]

It would take the Force a long longer to reach it.... and you would need a massive amount of energy, like a thermonuclear blast.

 

[marksmanHL2 :)]

Freeeaaaaakaaaay....... :burp:

 

[Mechagodzilla]

It probably wouldn't work, I think. I thought of the same idea, but there's a big issue.

Since no matter how solid the pole is, it's molecules would still have space between them, pushing on one end would compress a section and create a wave through the pole, like a sound wave through air. Since air-waves are slower than light, it stands to reason that pole-waves are too.

So, pushing on a pole would be like dropping a rock in a puddle. It would still take while for the wave to reach the edge.

 

[Ames]

It would take an infinite amount of energy....

But while we're on the topic, let's say that a badger was riding on a light beam going one way while a elf rides on a light beam the other way. Wouldn't they be going at twice the speed of light relative to each other?

:O

 

[Lil' Timmy]

not only would you need a tremendous amount of energy, as sprafa said, but, unless it's some kind of new phase of matter, it still wouldn't work. here's why. if the material is at all elastic (almost all material has some elasticity), then when you "push" it, you're actually setting up a compressional propagation wave. this is true when ever you push or strike anything. think of a golf ball, watch a super-slow motion club striking a golf ball and you'll see what i mean.

the speed of the compressional wave is the same as the speed of sound in that medium. now, think of a 10 foot wooden pole. if you push that you won't notice a propagating wave b/c the elasticity of the wood is low enough (i.e the rigidity is high enough) that a small force can overcome the inertia w/o shattering the pole. if you had a super-massive "trillion mile" long pole, the force required would be so enormous that you'd end up obliterating the forced end of the pole. unless it is very very very non-rigid (hyper elastic). but of course in that case, a simple shock wave (compressional propagation) wold be set up. even in the most coherent medium, sound probably can't travel more than a few thousand kph.

but the above is just simple mechanics. i'm sure there are both relativistic and quantum mechanical reasons why what you are proposing is impossible. unless, of course, you invented a material that was not bound by the laws of our universe.