Why Nothing Can Travel Faster Than Light by Barry and George Zimmerman

Finn Swartz

Young

Honors Physics

December 9, 2016

Science Reader

        The primary reason I chose to read Why Nothing Can Travel Faster Than Light by Barry and George Zimmerman was the title. I always wonder about small things like that but never go the extra step and find out why, so I figured this time I could kill two birds with one stone since I was forced to read anyway. Upon seeing exactly which questions would be answered in the collection of essays, I found many that interested me immediately. These were Can Anything Travel Faster than Light, Did Humans Come from Monkeys, Can Computers Think, What Is the Most Venomous Animal, The Most Successful Animal on Earth, and What Happens to Us When We Die. I, of course, assumed instantly that certain questions such as: What Happens to Us When We Die would not actually be answered but instead I would be reassured that there is indeed no way to find out without dying yourself.

Can Anything Travel Faster than Light contradicted the title of the book. The essay itself stated that an object can travel faster than light, and further, it has been accomplished, however only with an electron in a particle accelerator, underwater, we are not near warp speed on a spacecraft any time soon. Nothing larger than an electron can reach light speed for a quite fascinating reason. As matter is applied increasingly more energy, it converts less of it into speed and more of it into mass, until it can no longer physically speed up. I also learned about the interesting interaction between high speeds and time. I was reminded of the movie Interstellar where the main character spends an hour or so on a distant planet and when he reenters space 30 Earth years have passed. The essay explained that this in fact can happen because the faster you move; the more time slows down. Everything outside of the object moving at a high speed moves normally, but on the vessel, or in the case of Interstellar, planet, time moves slower. Overall I found the essay very interesting.

I already knew the answer to Did Humans Come from Monkeys? but I find myself rather interested in the origin of Humanity so it piqued my interest. The essay presented a large amount of information about the different proto-humans that existed at some point on Earth. The first signs of humanity were in Africa, contrary to what I had previously believed. I also learned that the jump from Neanderthals to modern humans was essentially overnight, and correlated with the developed ability to speak. With the power of language, they could store and spread knowledge which accelerated the growth of humanity tenfold. I always find it strange to think the complexity of life developed from bacteria.

Can Computers Think? presented another topic I have been interested in for a while. Computers have always fascinated me. I am unable to understand their complexity and have often wanted to learn just how they operate. I think of computers as humanities’ pet; something we created to do what we say and make our lives easier. A high-tech slave if you will. I have always, for whatever reason, felt a sort of respect for computers. I almost see them as alive. For example, if a computer I have been using for a long period of time starts to run slower, I will shut it down to “let it rest.” I feel as though the computer is a living thing that I have overworked and now needs a break. That is why I have always been interested in machines being alive. I genuinely believe if we are ever capable of creating a computer that can learn and adapt, we will use said computers to replace human interaction. People will live with their computer companion because it is easier and less awkward then saying hello to your neighbor. The essay states that computers can only do what we tell them to do however. So, how do we tell a computer to be a human? And if we figure out a way to tell a computer to be human, what will stop them from replacing us? Computers are already better than humans at almost everything beside “common tasks” like tying our shoes, etc. Computers also are incapable of knowing certain things are unreasonable, like an octopus going into Starbucks for a coffee. The amount of information that would be required to be stored onto a computer for it to process that would be incredibly high. Extensive knowledge of Octopi, the ocean, oxygen, and Starbucks coffee would all have to be programmed. I believe currently the technology does not exist to build a computer that can withhold as well as access that much information quickly, but if it ever does, it will mark the end of humanity. I also find it quite funny that as much as I enjoy computers, they scare me quite a bit.