If you're in a car...

[Davey Woo]

Interesting question.
I remember stumping my science teacher years ago by asking:
"If a motorcyclist had a radio on his bike, and he turned it on whilst travelling faster than the speed of sound, would he hear the music playing on the radio?"

 

[Tracer Bullet]

You're currently going the speed of light God knows where and how in a car for that matter and you're worried about the headlights? But its no like you can reach the button let alone move because of the massive amount of mach or G force upon your body at the time.

 

[DuplicateValue]

Interesting question.
I remember stumping my science teacher years ago by asking:
"If a motorcyclist had a radio on his bike, and he turned it on whilst travelling faster than the speed of sound, would he hear the music playing on the radio?"

I think he would, seeing as the radio is in front of him and travelling in the same direction. If he was travelling away from the radio, he wouldn't.

 

[GodKlown]

This depends. Is it an internal combustion engine, a hybrid electric/gas engine, or a freakin' Dolorean? If it is option three, you wouldn't be able to reach the speed of light because you'd already be traveling through time. Headlights would irrelevant at that point because you'd be watching the flux capacitor.

 

[Davey Woo]

Interesting question.
I remember stumping my science teacher years ago by asking:
"If a motorcyclist had a radio on his bike, and he turned it on whilst travelling faster than the speed of sound, would he hear the music playing on the radio?"

I think he would, seeing as the radio is in front of him and travelling in the same direction. If he was travelling away from the radio, he wouldn't.

Ahh yes I suppose sound goes in all directions doesn't it, I'm surprised my science teacher couldn't answer it for me, no wonder I failed..

 

[Zildjin81]

The light would just go twice the normal speed of light. Simple.

I lol'd

OT: You wouldn't see anything.

 

[Ultracake]

... traveling at the speed of light, and you turn the headlights on, what happens?

You want to know what happens? DO YOU!

Well..

Spoiler

I w͢il͏l̀ k͘i҉l͜l ̕m̴y͜s͜e̕lf̷. ̷And̕ wh͘en ͘m̶y̷ t̨aint̷ed̷ ͏sp̀irit f͞i̶nd̵s̡ i͢t҉s̷ d̨e̢s̕t̢ińat̨i͞on,͏ ́i will͜ t͜op̵ple ̴the ҉mas̛te̵r̷ of͘ th̶a͏t͏ dark ̀pla̕çe. F̶rom͜ ͞m̕y ҉bl͘a͡ck ͟thr̵one i͡ ̛w͜i͢ll̴ ̷lash t̸o̵g͠etḩe͘r ̷a ͏m̶a͟c̷h̛i̛ne̡ ̛of͏ b̵one a͠ǹd b͠l͜oo̵d,͡ ҉an͡d ͏fu̧eĺe̶d͟ b͠y͞ mỳ hat̷r̶e̷d ҉fór yơu͏.̀ Th̴iś F̷E̶A͢R ͞EN͟G̡IN̷E w͘ill͘ b҉o͞re a ̨h͞ól̨e betw̴een̷ ̵thi̧s͝ ̷worl̵d a̧nd tha͟t͡ o͜n҉e

̢And ̶w̸h̵en̨ ̧it ́be҉gi͘ns͢ y͠o̧u ̸w͢i̶ll ͜h͡e̴ąr ͡the̢ ̛s̷ou͠n͏d o͘f̢ ch̸iĺdren̵ ̀scre҉a̷m̨ing -͠ ás̢ t̶houg̡ḩ ́fro̡m ̸a͠ grea͡t ̵di̴s͜tance͡.̕ ̴A͘ sm̨okin̴g̶ or͜b͏ ̶of́ NO̧T͟HIN͟G ͟wi̴l̀l҉ ͘g͞r̢ow ̸f͞r̕òm̢ ab͡ove y͞ou̶r͝ ̕b̢e͞d and̛ fr͏om̸ ̀i͢t̴ ͠w͠i͢ll ̛emer̷gȩ ҉a thous̡a͘n͜d ҉st͡ar̶vi͘ng ͟c̡r͏ow̶s̶.̨ ́A̷ş i͡ s͢li̵p̛ thro̶u̢gh ̀th̛e͞ ́ẃi̢de̴nin͘g͘ máw ̀i͏n my new ̧for̕m͡ you wil̀l̷ ͡c̀ąţch ̴o̢n̛ly̶ ̢a gl͠imps̀e ̵o̴f͝ m̷y͠ ͢rad̢íanc̢e b̕e̵f͞or̀ȩ ͡y̕ou͠ ár҉e͟ ̛inciner͝a̛ted. ̀Then, As te̷a͡r̨ś ̛of ͏b̀ubblin͜g̵ ͝pit͟c͞h͏ s͠t͢r̶ea̸m ̷dow̨n ̴m̵y ̢fa̷ce, M̧y͝ da̵rk w͏ork w̕i͡ll ͏b͠e͞gin.̡
̸
I ̧w͠il͘l o͝pen͡ ̀one ҉óf͢ ̷my s̶ix ͟mơu̴t͢h'̵s, Aņd i ẁi͜l͝l s͡ing̶ the son̶g t̡h͝a͟t͜ e͞n̡d̸s̶ t͡he̴ ̷earth.̕

Seriously though. It will either go at 2x the speed of light, or the same speed of the head-lighted vehicle

 

[Xskills]

FTL with solid mass is suicide. Even the most thin matter like air will tear you to pieces and incinerate you under that friction and collision (imagine reentry into the atmosphere x10) and if any tech that uses photon or electricity just won't work.

 

[Umberphoenix]

If your car is going the speed of light, pretty soon you won't be able to turn on your headlights anyways so what does it matter?

But if you somehow managed to keep your car from breaking up then the light would stay in the bulb.

 

[Dahni]

Wait... So would nothing happen or would the light travel at twice the speed of light (like leave the car at the speed of light, thus going twice that fast)?

Light won't gain momentum. It won't be affected by the speed of whatever it's being emitted by.
It travels at the same speed no matter what through air. It's speed will only change depending on the substance it's passing through. It's not a properly physical thing, light. Its effects can be seen when it hits an object but we can't, for example, grab it, so we couldn't speed it up by pushing it with our hands. Same goes for this car going at lightspeed.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Relativity kicks in, time freezes for those in the car, and luckily, it is impossible for any object with mass to reach such a speed.

 

[firedfns13]

Interesting question.
I remember stumping my science teacher years ago by asking:
"If a motorcyclist had a radio on his bike, and he turned it on whilst travelling faster than the speed of sound, would he hear the music playing on the radio?"

I think he would, seeing as the radio is in front of him and travelling in the same direction. If he was travelling away from the radio, he wouldn't.

Yeah he would have to hear it. I think it'd be doppler effected though.
Otherwise jet fighters wouldn't be able to radio communicate...

 

[nickster1]

Wake up and stop snorting that sh*t

 

[Incompl te]

This reminds me of similair hypothetical situation threads on /sci/.

To answer your question though, I'm going to guess the light travels ahead due to the fact that the source of the light is already travelling at the speed of light, and therefore the light being emmited would be slightly faster.

I could be wrong.

Actually, I probably am wrong.

 

[geldonyetich]

If you've managed the infinite amount of energy to reach the speed of light, what happens when you turn the headlights on is the least of your worries.

 

[Dahni]

This reminds me of similair hypothetical situation threads on /sci/.

To answer your question though, I'm going to guess the light travels ahead due to the fact that the source of the light is already travelling at the speed of light, and therefore the light being emmited would be slightly faster.

I could be wrong.

Actually, I probably am wrong.

look at my post.

I was look at this theoretical concept in my physics class earlier on today.
the light would never actually manage to leave the headlights. it would just sort of hover at the bulb because when the light tries to move, the bulb will be moving too at the same speed so it never leaves. That makes it sound like a big ball of light would appear but that's not true either. Because the light would never leave the headlight, if you somehow got in front of the car by also running at the speed of light, you wouldn't even see the car.

 

[camokkid]

Try to figure out how much of what drug I just took.

[i/]Whoa, what was in that LSD?[/i]

 

[Ilovechocolatemilk]

The speed of light is constant regardless of your frame of reference. If you are traveling at 3/4ths the speed of light and shine a flashlight, it would look exactly like a normal flashlight.

Also, it is impossible for something with rest mass to travel at the speed of light. You would literally need an infinite amount of energy to achieve such a thing.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

Realistically, you're on a really bad trip. To state something new, you might very well cause a black hole to open. Either way you wouldn't see the light

When you reach the speed of light, you alter the fabric of space, tearing open a black hole, and ending up with a hideoulsy massive repair bill and a nice little speeding ticket.
Oh, and your car would be a mess too.

EDIT: The g-forces would crush you.

 

[Insanum]

....Is there much point to this? A car cant really travel at the speed of light, and if anything, CLose to light speed travel is an impossibility at the moment.

Tell you what, When you bring me a car that can safely travel at the speed of light & still have power for the headlights, I shall test it out.