It depends on how far is point B at the time the experiment begins.
If it's closer than speed_of_light * time_needed-to_turn_on_lights, the car arrives first
If it's equal or farther than formula above they arrive together
Since it is all an unrealistic assumption, let us suppose also that the time spent to turn the lights on is equal to zero; despite this, the car would arrive first, because the light from the headlights, before reaching the maximum speed, will have to start from zero and accelerate, even if it did so in billionths of a second.
Not so. I believe that photons, being mass-less, always travel at the speed of light of whatever material they are traveling in and cannot travel slower than this.
Light doesn't accelerate. It always moves at the "speed of light" (c).
Not 100% accurate but the interesting thing about the light speed is that it is constant and is not affected by relative movement. Two observers moving in different directions will measure the same speed.
Instead of the velocity being changed based on the observers movement, the time changes between them (based on the simple S = V * T formula).
This is all that I remember from my Physics II course...
This Is almost the same as another situation:
A fly enter a train. The train during its voyage achieves a top speed of 300km/h... The fly has a top speed of 2500m/h...
What's the actual speed of the fly?...
The question is "incomplete", as we can give at least 2 answers, both right and wrong at the same time...
Absolute ground speed will always be 2500m/h, however, relative speed to ground would then the the sum of the two...
Same applies to the car... The headlight light will always arrive before the car, if of "finishing line point of view"
The answer depends on where the observer is.. If it's the driver then he will see the light velocity is C (speed of light) and the light will arrive before his car. But if the observer is watching outside the car then he will see both, the car and the light travelling with the same velocity. And guess what! Both observers are correct!
we see everything because of light
if everything is moving at the speed of light
then relatively everything is standing still
so nobody or thing gets anywhere
and everything is going nowhere
after all light is a reflective property
so the car and the headlights are going the other way
that's all I remember from my Fine Art course with einstein
Oh the headlights never come on : they're going at the car's speed.....
Since it is all an unrealistic assumption, let us suppose also that the time spent to turn the lights on is equal to zero; despite this, the car would arrive first, because the light from the headlights, before reaching the maximum speed, will have to start from zero and accelerate, even if it did so in billionths of a second.