That's my question

e.g
How long would a radio wave from mars get to earth?

Also, if our technology advances, would it be possible to make a device that transmits radio waves even faster than our satelights do now?

Radio waves are electromagnetic radiation and travel at the maximum known speed possible, the speed of light. ( 300,000,000 m/s )

It is unlikely that any device could ever be made to transmit radio waves faster than the speed of light, because at this time it is thought that it is impossible for anything to exceed that speed.

but law of physic does allow it.

Ohhh alright, Thankyou for clearing that up for me

Wow,

i just found out something, the diameter of earth is
7926miles

So if i drill a hole right through the earth for e.g and shine a torch through, the light would get to the other side in less than a second?

that's pretty damn fast!!!

Yup, the speed of light is very fast indeed.



Which law of physics would that be ?

Nothing can move faster than the speed of light.
E=Mc2 (E) Energy (M) mass (c2) twice by the speed of light

The faster something moves, the more energy it gains, which makes it more massive. Therefore nothing can move at the speed of light or exceed it because it would require a push with an infinite amount of energy to reach or cross the light barrier, thus being impossible.

Also light moves at a constant rate, it cannot speed up or slow down. Also there is no passage of time at the speed of light.

i mean wormholes, shortcuts in space etc...

Those are nothing but speculative theories, and have nothing to do with exceeding the speed of light.

i think einstein said its not impossible to travel faster than the speed of light.....

Einstein didn't say that, one of the fundamental principles behind his life's work is that it is considered impossible to exceed the speed of light for the reasons Discordia stated above.

Einstein also said that to break an atom it would be needed a huge amount of energy, always bigger than that produced out of the atom breakage, but there's always ways around, and the proof is the atom bomb.. so probably there's also ways around to surpass the speed of light.

sorry
prof. steven hawking
i think

You have to keep in mind that speed also deals with time. An observer at rest will get a different time than the observer in motion.
Ie,
Observer A- Person in motion
Observer B- Person at rest

Say Observer A is going to time how fast he can race around a track at 100 mph. He's also going to time how long it takes him to do so. Observer B is also timing it, with the same device as Observer A. Observer A's time will be a little less than the time Observer B gets. Although the times are different, each answer is correct. Time actually slows down while in motion. The notion of time in commonplace speeds, such as the speeds here on earth only differ minusule, therefore go unnoticed. Faster velocities such as near the speed of light slow or drag time on larger scales. (There are also a number of other problems to reach or pass the speed of light such as the more energy something gains, the heavier it gets and gravity because that's what warps space and time.)

Therefore not only would we need an infinite amount of energy to acclerate faster than the speed of light, we would also have to compensate for the time factor, b/c at the speed of light time stops completely. There are certain rules to physics that won't allow us to do such things. So I don't think it will be possible ever, we will most likely only be able to reach near light speeds but not match them or exceed them. Although I must say, it could be a paradox, where we just don't have enough technology to achieve it, but my best guess is it's impossible and always will be so.

You asked how long for something like the MERs to get their data to Earth?
Just guestimate, around 25-30 minutes, on average. I did the math last year, and I think that was it...

OK. Lots of good answers by the others. Just for fun- what if the ocean ran into
the hole you drilled? And lets say, since you get to do this magical experiment,
the water is also pristene...no big whales or phytoplankton concentrated in the cylinder, if it was big enough to hold them...

Anyway, how fast would your 'flashlight' transmit your signal of optical wavelengths? OK, you say, trick question. All wavelengths are equal in speed.
Good, we answered that.

But, what about the speed? Water is clear! Yes, and full of lattice, from atoms
and electrons. And, their energy can interact with the lightwave/particle/photon.
Traffic cops.

The photon started out as a massless particle, from your torch. By interacting with the water, it starts to acquire mass. It becomes a polariton, in that environment.
Having gained mass, it slows down! It can not move like it did, when you, sitting
over earth, perhaps in a vaccuum, let the photons fly. They moved at the true speed of light in a vaccuum, unimpeded. They slowed in the ocean.

On the other side, they escape into space, and take up speed again, as they exit the water. If you timed it, you would probably find light slowed down, during the trip. I hope I'm right on these points. You had so many good answers, otherwise.