Speed of light

[bananarama]

This thread was inspred by LeatherTrumpets thread about the Big bang theory.....

My question for debate is.......What determines the speed of light!!!!!!!!

The speed of light is what it is but why is it not faster or slower why is it the speed it is!!!!!!!! Does science know the answer to this......

[ILoveTRW]

sorry to ruin your debate but,

λ=v/f

where λ is the wave length, v is the velocity of the wave and f is the frequency

[Mark]

Does science know the answer to this......

Does religion? :hugesmile:

Doesn't the context of what it's travelling through determine it. In a vaccuum its 186,000 miles a second, but scientists have slowed it down to something like 50mph when passing it through some special combinations of water and glass I read somewhere a while ago.

[bananarama]

I asked if science new the answer to this. I am no mathematical expert so I have to put trust in your mathematical reply.......Therefor I cannot decide if the mathematics creats more problems than it solves.......As does the mathematics of the universe.....Where experts fail to agree.....

[Beastie]

Science over rules maths.

[ILoveTRW]

maths is the language of science :thumbs:

[bananarama]

Does religion? :hugesmile:

Doesn't the context of what it's travelling through determine it. In a vaccuum its 186,000 miles a second, but scientists have slowed it down to something like 50mph when passing it through some special combinations of water and glass I read somewhere a while ago.


Interesting!!!! First I have heard about light being slowed down.......Perhaps its not really slowed down but delayed.......Ie. stored then released to give the impression of a slow down.....

When I was younger I remember a debate about two trains headin towards each other at 100 mile per hour combines speed of impact being 200 miles per hour........Yet with light in the same scenerio it would still be the 186000 miles a second......

[James]

Yeah, that is true. If you throw something off a car traveling at, say, 60 the object increases speed but with light projected from the headlights it stays at the same speed. Difference is the object has mass but light doesn't.

Also, it is meant to be that an object would need infinite energy to reach the speed of light.

I think I read the speed of light is related to the size of the universe... somehow.

[ILoveTRW]

Difference is the object has mass but light doesn't.

depend if you believe light is a wave or a particle really

[James]

Did a little Googling... some interesting responses here - http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=13354

Seems the short answer is 'the physical properties of space'.

Also interesting that science forums get the same 'the weird old trick for a tiny belly' Google ad. ;)

[ILoveTRW]

whats your degree in james?

[James]

Software Engineering. :blush:

[bananarama]

A while back I saw a program about an experiment that was able to prove that the same photon of light can be in two places at the same time.......