Tachyons

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Relativistic mass equation \Rel`a*tiv*ist"ic mass e*qua"tion\,
     n. (physics)
     an equation expressing the mass of an object as a function of
     its velocity: as the velocity v of an object increases, its
     mass m increases from its rest mass m0 according to the
     equation: m = m0/root{1 - v^{2}/c^{2}} where c is the speed


     of light in a vacuum. If the speed of an object were to
     become equal to that of light, it can be seen that the mass
     would be infinite, from which it follows that nothing can
     accelerate up to or beyond the speed of light.
     [PJC]
  
     Note: The theoretical possibility that there are particles
           which always move faster than light cannot at present
           be disproved and is not denied by this equation; in
           such a case, the relativistic mass equation asserts
           that such particles can never decelerate to or below
           the speed of light. Such hypothetical particles are
           referred to as
  
     {tachyons}.
        [PJC]