I must know...
Please enlighten me... this question has plagued me for weeks.
In theory, if a rod of some extreme length (let's just say 10 miles) was fabricated out of a very dense material (such as lead) and then suspended to allow it to move a small distance (an inch or so) relatively freely, what would happen if you pushed on one end?
Would someone at the other end immediately see movement? Or would the movement pass through the rod like a wave at some sub-light speed?
If the movement was immediately seen at the other end - would that not mean it is possible to transfer information instantly (faster than the speed of light) even though the rod itself was moving at sub-light speed?
If the movement travels down the rod as a wave, wouldn't that mean that for that period of time the rod has actually gotten 1 inch shorter? What happened to that 1 inch? What if, during this transfer time someone else pushed on the opposite end?
Thank you, oh divine ones!
In theory, if a rod of some extreme length (let's just say 10 miles) was fabricated out of a very dense material (such as lead) and then suspended to allow it to move a small distance (an inch or so) relatively freely, what would happen if you pushed on one end?
Would someone at the other end immediately see movement? Or would the movement pass through the rod like a wave at some sub-light speed?
If the movement was immediately seen at the other end - would that not mean it is possible to transfer information instantly (faster than the speed of light) even though the rod itself was moving at sub-light speed?
If the movement travels down the rod as a wave, wouldn't that mean that for that period of time the rod has actually gotten 1 inch shorter? What happened to that 1 inch? What if, during this transfer time someone else pushed on the opposite end?
Thank you, oh divine ones!