Time does not actually stop at the speed of light, but rather, the perception of time changes significantly when an object approaches that speed. According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, as an object moves closer to the speed of light, time for that object appears to slow down relative to a stationary observer. This phenomenon is known as time dilation.
For example, suppose a spaceship travels at a speed very close to the speed of light. From the perspective of someone on the spaceship, everything seems normal, and time passes as it always does. However, for an observer back on Earth, the clock on the spaceship would appear to tick more slowly. If the spaceship could somehow reach the speed of light, the observer on Earth would perceive the time on the spaceship as completely frozen. But it’s crucial to note that, according to our understanding of physics, no object with mass can reach the speed of light because it would require an infinite amount of energy.
In essence, time may seem to ‘stop’ at the speed of light to an outside observer due to the effects of relativity, but it does not actually stop from the perspective of the traveling object. This is a fundamental concept in modern physics that challenges our conventional understanding of time and space.