Einstein’s theory of special relativity extends beyond speed of light

Einstein's theory of special relativity suggests that nothing can move faster than the speed of light.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia said they may have created additional formulas to allow for even faster travel.

The theory of special relativity, published in 1905, shows how motion and speed always depend on a person's frame of reference, said Science Codex.

Indeed, the theory purports that all motion is relative and that there is no state of rest.

This is where things get complicated.

The old theory showed how time slows down the faster someone goes until the speed of light at which time the theory seems to break down.

The new extension on the equation makes up for this and accommodates infinite relative velocity at the speed of light – something the old theory failed to do, said LiveScience.

"Since the introduction of special relativity there has been much speculation as to whether or not it might be possible to travel faster than the speed of light, noting that there is no substantial evidence to suggest that this is presently feasible with any existing transportation mechanisms," said study co-author Jim Hill in a statement.

Hill said that some of their inspiration came from a finding last year at CERN that neutrinos may be able to travel faster than the speed of light, which was reported by GlobalPost.

The neutrino speed was found to be simply a glitch but it did inspire researchers to test the possibility.

"About this time last year, experiments at CERN, the European centre for particle physics in Switzerland, suggested that perhaps neutrinos could be accelerated just a very small amount faster than the speed of light; at this point we started to think about how to deal with the issues from both a mathematical and physical perspective."

The scientists admit that there is no machine that exists which would allow the theory to be tested.

Until then it will remain numbers on a paper.