New Physics: Are the laws of physics really unbreakable?

[Master-Zarex]

As we progress in technology, we advance in travel. To think nothing travels faster than light is madness. Any law of physics can be broken. So the question remains: is the whole universe a theroy or can anything happen in this lawless universe.

 

As you know, sound was thought unbreakable, but we've broken it. Now, even Mach 5 is a simple task as we have Mach 27. But light seems to be unsurpasses. The fastest things go 99.99% of the speed of light, or do they. I think there things out there that are beyond our comprehension, things that would put light to shame and Newton's laws to misery. If anyone agrees or disagrees, speak now!

[iNow]

I think you could support your point better. I think that your understanding of existing laws is minimal. I think there are often clever ways to circumvent laws, but that they themselves are not broken when taken in context of physics. What's your point? Do you have anything specific to discuss?

[Mr Skeptic]

What law of physics was it that said that you couldn't go faster than the speed of sound? That's right, none! The "sound barrier" was certainly thought impossible to surpass (due to the plane shaking apart), but that is different than violating a law of physics. Saying something is impossible, and proving something is impossible are two different things.

 

BTW, when did they have the first supersonic bullets?

 

As iNow said, we may someday find loopholes that allow us to do things previously thought impossible, without actually breaking any laws of physics. But if we ever break the laws of physics, we will just get some new ones

[ydoaPs]

To think nothing travels faster than light is madness.

Why?

 

Any law of physics can be broken.

Really? Examples?

 

As you know, sound was thought unbreakable, but we've broken it. Now, even Mach 5 is a simple task as we have Mach 27.

The sound barrier was never thought to be a physical barrier, but just a technological one.

 

But light seems to be unsurpasses. The fastest things go 99.99% of the speed of light, or do they.

Relativity has been proven correct so far.

 

I think there things out there that are beyond our comprehension, things that would put light to shame and Newton's laws to misery.

Newton's laws say nothing about a universal speed limit.

[mooeypoo]

Actually, saying "Nothing can travel faster than light" is not quite true. It's "Nothing *with mass* can travel at the speed of light".

 

I don't mean to be picky, but it's an important distinction.

 

I think I understand where the original OP is getting at, let's see if I can convey that 'feeling':

 

Throughout history we've devised strict laws (like Newton's gravity theory.. Copernicus, etc) and decades later found them wrong. So the laws of physics can't be defined to be "unbreakable".

 

I know, I used to think that too, but then someone pointed out something very interesting to me: When Einstein "corrected" Newton's theory, he didn't declare him *wrong* -- Newton's laws of physics are correct -- he just redefined them in a new scale. The point I'm trying to make is that the odds of us finding out that a law of physics is an absolute wrong is very very very veeeeeeeeeerry slim. We *might*, though, find that it has more 'details' -- that it works a certain way in a certian scale and another way in another scale.

 

Gravity is a force with constant G (on earth) -- that's a true law. The fact Einstein later on claimed that it's not QUITE a force but rather the 'bending' of space, is very important, but it's not BREAKING the law, it's redefining it.

 

So I understand where you're coming from, Master-Zarex, but I think you should consider that point.

 

~moo