theoretical physics question

[owennewton]

Let's say that you have a hollow tube that is exactly one light year long. This pole is made of a material of infinite tensile strength, hardness, and brittleness. It will not bend, warp, or shatter. If you shine a laser down the center of the tube at the same instant that you push on the tube, which will be received on the other end first, the push, or the light?

I have a theory on this but I am wondering what you guys think

[compirate]

the push, the light will take a year to get there, but the push is instantaneously transmitted to the other end

[pachiwall]

I agree with compirate, just types faster than I do. This question is considerably deeper than..."If you are traveling in a spaceship that travels twice as fast as the speed of light. What happens when you turn the headlights on?"

[owennewton]

This is what I thought as well as no laws are being broken as the tube is not traveling faster than light but when you think about how data could be sent with the movement of the tube then the data would be traveling faster than the speed of light and then I start to feel a pain in the center of my head and I get distracted... hey! look, shiny...

[Card Shark]

I agree with the push.

[yose]

It would be the light, because they are of the same environment.The resistance of the work to the push inertia is not instantaneous to the zero resistance of pure light.E=MC2.

[luckydog]

now your giving me a headache

[Drunkenclam]

But light can be effected by outside forces like gravity. Is the tube a vaccum.
Doesn't really matter as light will take a year to travel through a tube 1 light year long.

[yose]

Yes it's true light can be affected by gravity,but by being inside the tube the light has the same relative environment as the tube.On the other hand the tube does need outside influence such as gravity to get resistance of thrust or it would'nt move,the light is pure energy and does't require thrust. Even in a vacumm the tube has to have A means of releasing energy to get push, the light is energy and can't be exceeded.Man this is getting deep.Brain hurt.

[owennewton]

looks like we need to build this tube and try it out

Anyone want to invest in this project?

[luckydog]

count me in fo 50 cents

[compirate]

but if the tube is in-compressible, a push on one end would theoretically translate to the other end instantly, A movement of 1" in one hour would translate to a 1" move on the other end in the same hour, whereas the light would still take another 8759 hours to get to the other end. Now if a signal was sent from the other end to tell you the other end moved, it would probably take a year for you to find out

Kinda a "if a tree falls in the forest, ..."

[owennewton]

but if the tube is in-compressible, a push on one end would theoretically translate to the other end instantly, A movement of 1" in one hour would translate to a 1" move on the other end in the same hour, whereas the light would still take another 8759 hours to get to the other end. Now if a signal was sent from the other end to tell you the other end moved, it would probably take a year for you to find out

Kinda a "if a tree falls in the forest, ..."

unless they push back to let you know and that is where the paradox comes in as the "information", the push would have traveled faster than light.

I still agree with you that the push would be almost instant but the more I think the bigger the headache is

[compirate]

not almost instant, totally instant

The tube exists for the entire distance, whereas the light is 'created' on the one end and has to travel the full distance.

[DrDark]

Dangerous thinking!

divide-by-zero-blog-safe.jpg

[yose]

It relates to this question. If a husband was standing alone in a deep thick forest talking and his wife was at home in the kitchen and couldn't hear what he was saying would he still be wrong?