Well, I must correct.

To accelerate an object to c would be impossible simply because it would require infinite energy, no chemical bonds issue or what, it is simply as impossible as achieving infinite energy or absolute zero.

These chemical bonds breaking...etc. issues apply ,only when something rotates close to c speed, with accelerating, for example, a normal spaceship you can go infinitelly close to c if you have the right shielding againts interstellar gas and dust, what can deal damage when they collide with ship at such speeds, otherwise the ship will not "rip apart" as it is stationary relative to itself, means, every particle of that ship is goes the same relative to outside universe, velocity do not rips things apart, too rapid acceleration does.

No there is no "engineering limit" in theory to prevent lightspeed, it is as silly as trying to get infinite power, simply you can approach it to trillion trillion trillion...decimals, but never actually reach exactly c.
Ofc engineering limits will be there at above cca 0.99 c, but theoretically you can go 0.999999999999999999...... c forever, but never reach c using ordinary means.
At c you mass would be INFINITE, and time will STOP

At least without accelerated space or illusion of FTL using spacetime engineering such as wormholes.



BTW I have not been not talking about ordinary nanotubes that we know of as of 2008, but theoretical carbon diamondoid almost indestructable materials.

1) Small clarification. If you were moving at c compared to every inertial frame, only your clock would stop. My clock will work just fine, batteries permitting.

2) Even diamond is not perfect. How about an object who's binding force is the mighty gluon? Now we can talk about fast spinning objects. The only other way out that I can think of is to have gravity be the binding force. Neutron star anyone?

Thanks for the answers but why all the emphasis on the mechanical stuff ? Its obvious that a light-speed centrifuge would be impossible to built...
I was just interested in knowing what each person would see, in a hypothetical situation...

It depends on how they're synchronized. If they're synchronized by a wire which connects both to the same power source, with the timer centrally located, then the central observer will continue to see both lights blinking at the same rate as before, while the rim observer will see both lights still blinking together, but at ever faster rates the closer he gets to the speed of light.

If the timer is on the rim, then the rim observer will continue to observe no changes, while the central observer will observe the blinks taking longer and longer as the rim velocity increases.

If the lights are synchronized by timers at each location, then the center light will continue blinking at one second per second, while the rim light will continue to blink every longer, and the synchronization between the lights will degrade.

__________________
I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol.

Mine: "Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that."

Heinlein's: "Staying young requires the unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods." "Freedom begins when you tell Ms. Grundy to go fly a kite."

How about a better understanding of relativity?

__________________
I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol.

Mine: "Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that."

Heinlein's: "Staying young requires the unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods." "Freedom begins when you tell Ms. Grundy to go fly a kite."

what each person see's is the interaction and therefore consequence of all the wavelengths of light in combination with each other

what colours they would ultimately be I don't know

but in the end each person sees light frozen at the source

Thanks Mugaliens, that was the point of the question... a better understanding of relativity.

As I see it, and we know I can not. It might look like the rings of Saturn. from one point of view while the other would see all three lights on and not blinking. The human eye would not see the phasing ... Its untestable. ( that might hurt.)

What if there was a string or rubber band connected betweem the rotating cockpit and the "origin" ?

If each person is moving a light speed with respect to the other (as I believe this is what happens in this example), could "messages" be sent along it (i.e. a wave) and how would such a situation play out ? thanks

It would break

Mugaliens- Thanks but I don't understand this point. With the timer located centrally, why does the rim observer see both lights blinking together but at ever faster rates ? Could you help me understand ?

Relativity.
His reference frame for time has slowed down- thus he will percieve the other reference frame as moving faster.

Same as if you got into a space ship and went at .99c and returned to Earth after a while, everyone else will have aged at a greater rate than you.

yeah, thanks, that was useful, neverfly

Glad to apply my genius in helpful ways. Let me know if there will be anything else.

ok, I might be playing dumb here but why do both lights blink together (at faster rates). For him (rotating guy) shouldn't his light stay the same ?

Oh... My turn to play dumb now. I hadn't noticed you were asking about both lights the first time. Now I see why you were confused.

Sadly, I too am confused by the Mugaliens now... Why BOTH?

Also, you'll have to read a special relativity textbook.

The basic sections you need are the Lorentz transform, the relativity of simultaneity and a few paradoxes. Your answer is found in there.

Einstein goes on to consider a very long rod of length one light year and realizes that it can
t be perfectly solid, due to the fact that any distortions can't even travel at 'c' through the rod.

alain price : the lights are simply syncronised to each other with a timer that sends a signal to each light to change color.

yep, I've read a few of those but my limited understanding doesn't allow me to answer this specific problem.

As far as I can go (admittely, it ain't very far) when the centrifuge reaches light speed, both observers are travelling at light speed with respect to each other so they both should see the same thing; i.e own light normal, other getting faster. But this isn't what Mugaliens states...

Lets imagine that both observers can see each other directly. When at light speed (both observers are travelling at light speed with respect to each other), the observer inside the centrifuge should see the guy at the origin getting old very fast and vice-versa, right ?
When the centrifuge is stopped, they will both have aged the same amount or am I totally lost?

For those interested in the mechanical stuff, this is thought experiment only.

You have to realize that this is not an inertial reference frame. Basic special relativity is not sufficient, we need to consider the rotation.

If we choose a reference frame that is external to the centrifuge, the center light is not moving, and the edge light is going near light speed. The problem remains to be your timer. It is halfway between the lights and it is moving as well.

Now we need to pick refence frames that are along the disc, and this does not help your cause. We'd almost have to pick a timer that is a radio beacon some distance away from the disk and on the normal of its plane. If it was far enough, we could say the signals will be synchronized.

ok, alainprice, lets choose this beacon scenario so that the signals are synchronized. What next ?

Thank you for being patient with us "lesser folk"