<blockquote>
  <p>On board of a hypothetical spaceship, I have a hypothetical clock consisting of 2 mirrors and a light beam is being reflected between the mirrors to measure the time.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The mirrors, clock and you are all in the same reference frame and your relative velocities are <em>zero</em>.</p>

<p>The speed the whole shebang is traveling at relative to something else is irrelevant.</p>

<p>So the clock on board the ship with you will calmly pass the seconds just as you'd expect an object at rest relative to you to do.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Now if we hypothetically exceed the speed of light</p>
</blockquote>

<p>We can't do that.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>what will I see is happening to my clock on board of my ship ?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Beyond the speed of light has no meaning I know of in this context.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I just can't wrap my mind around this problem.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There's no problem : you can't travel faster than light : keep repeating that mantra and all will be well. :-)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T22:58:10.743Z
2017-06-26T22:58:10.743Z
StephenG - Help Ukraine
<p>On board of a hypothetical spaceship, I have a hypothetical clock consisting of 2 mirrors and a light beam is being reflected between the mirrors to measure the time. Now if we hypothetically exceed the speed of light; what will I see is happening to my clock on board of my ship? (a) Light can't exceed the speed of light so according to me the clock has freezed, (b) Light always passes the observer at the speed of light, so my clock is keeping perfectly time but the speed of light inside my clock has surpassed the speed of light? (c) The clock will run backwards?  I just can't wrap my mind around this problem.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T17:10:26.767Z
You "hypothetically exceed the speed of light" as measured relative to what object? Think of the answer to this question and you'll get closer to the solution to your problem.
Florin Andrei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T22:13:12.480Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not concerned with astronomy as defined in the help centre
James K
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T23:44:02.693Z
This should be moved to World Building if anything.  It is a question for Physics until the "faster than light" part.
Cody
<light>
An hypothetical timepiece on board of a spaceship. Please Help
user17081
# An hypothetical timepiece on board of a spaceship. Please Help

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-26)

On board of a hypothetical spaceship, I have a hypothetical clock consisting of 2 mirrors and a light beam is being reflected between the mirrors to measure the time. Now if we hypothetically exceed the speed of light; what will I see is happening to my clock on board of my ship? (a) Light can't exceed the speed of light so according to me the clock has freezed, (b) Light always passes the observer at the speed of light, so my clock is keeping perfectly time but the speed of light inside my clock has surpassed the speed of light? (c) The clock will run backwards? I just can't wrap my mind around this problem.

**Tags:** light

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You "hypothetically exceed the speed of light" as measured relative to what object? Think of the answer to this question and you'll get closer to the solution to your problem.  
> **username_2**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not concerned with astronomy as defined in the help centre  
> **username_3**: This should be moved to World Building if anything.  It is a question for Physics until the "faster than light" part.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-06-26. Score: 2

> On board of a hypothetical spaceship, I have a hypothetical clock consisting of 2 mirrors and a light beam is being reflected between the mirrors to measure the time.

The mirrors, clock and you are all in the same reference frame and your relative velocities are *zero*.

The speed the whole shebang is traveling at relative to something else is irrelevant.

So the clock on board the ship with you will calmly pass the seconds just as you'd expect an object at rest relative to you to do.

> Now if we hypothetically exceed the speed of light

We can't do that.

> what will I see is happening to my clock on board of my ship ?

Beyond the speed of light has no meaning I know of in this context.

> I just can't wrap my mind around this problem.

There's no problem : you can't travel faster than light : keep repeating that mantra and all will be well. :-)


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