Can you drive fast enough to avoid being clocked by speed cameras?
Friday, March 21, 2014 - 13:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Anyone wanting to avoid being caught out by speed cameras can do so very simply -- by obeying the speed limits. But physics students have suggested that -- theoretically, at least -- there may also be another way of avoiding getting a ticket. A group of students found that drivers could escape detection by driving so fast that their number plates would appear invisible to speed cameras. But any drivers tempted to give this a try next time they are on the motorway should be warned; the car would need to be traveling at 119 million miles per hour to make the number plate invisible. This speed equates to one sixth of the speed of light -- and no human-made vehicle is capable of going anywhere near this speed.