Can you travel at a negative speed?

Hi, speed is a scalar quantity. This means that it is always positive. Velocity is a vector quantity, so it can be negative. Speed is the magnitude of the velocity vector, so it can never be negative.

Can time be affected by speed?

We know that an object, or a light beam’s, speed measures the distance traversed over time. Time dilation affects this reconciliation. Time dilates on moving vessels: the greater the speed, the greater the time dilation. Only when such velocities* approach light speed do such effects become significant.

What does it mean to have a negative speed?

An object which moves in the negative direction has a negative velocity. If the object is slowing down then its acceleration vector is directed in the opposite direction as its motion (in this case, a positive acceleration).

What is time dilation and how does it work?

In fact the equation that governs this so called time dilation is given below: So you see when you start off – at zero speed (0\% of speed of light) your time is just regular i.e. the time slowing factor (xt) is equal to 1. As you speed up your time runs slower by the factor shown on the y-axis.

Does going faster than light lead to backwards time travel?

So, simply going faster than light does not inherently lead to backwards time travel. Very specific conditions must be met—and, of course, the speed of light remains the maximum speed of anything with mass.

Does time slow down at the speed of light?

At 140\% or higher speed of light, time slowdown factor is less than one, i.e. time will go faster than in the stationary frame! So for an example if your ship goes at 200\% of the speed of light and you take a one year journey, when you return to Earth only about 7 months have gone by.

Does time slow down when you travel?

Physicist: Yup! But sadly, this will never happen. This is a good news / really bad news situation. On the one hand, it is true (for all intents and purposes) that if you travel fast enough, time will slow down and you’ll get to your destination is surprisingly little time.