does light develop weight in water?

Question

weight of photon is zero because it`s speed is equal to that of light and when we put this speed in relativity formula speed the mass comes out to be zero.when light passes through water it`s speed decreases and must develop weight in water acc. to formula of relativity

Answer 1

Interesting idea. I remember reading somewhere (Hitchhiker's guide? Hyperspace?) that the closer some object comes to the speed of light, the closer its mass would approach infinity, which I guess works in reverse in a subatomic level.

I did a search and found an article about excitons or "heavy photons" listed below.

Answer 2

The photons themselves do NOT slow down in water, glass, or any other medium. Thus, they do not gain mass. This slowdown is due to its method of propagation, and is related to the medium's refractive index.

The "speed of light in a medium" (being slower than that in a vacuum) is the observed or measured speed and NOT the true speed of light. On the microscopic scale, considering electromagnetic radiation to be like a particle, refraction is caused by continual absorption and re-emission (not necessarily in quite the same direction) of the photons that compose the light by the atoms or molecules through which it is passing. In some sense, the light itself travels only through the vacuum existing between these atoms, and is impeded by the atoms. The process of absorption and re-emission itself takes time, thereby creating the impression that the light itself has undergone delay (i.e. loss of speed) between entry and exit from the medium in question.

Once the light has emerged from the medium it changes back to its original speed without gaining any energy. This can only mean that the light's speed itself was never altered in the first place. Alternatively, considering electromagnetic radiation to be like a wave, the charges of each atom (primarily the electrons) interfere with the electric and magnetic fields of the radiation, slowing its progress.

Answer 3

In the theory I understand yes! as the photon collides in the dark cold depth's of the seas and is what some call defused I call cooled off thought contacts with what ever it can hit like the much lager electron or the huge proton or neutron. As masses contact no matter quick they will try to equalize in temp, hotter loosing to the cooler. The instants measurement of contact will determine how much heat is transferred. so its contacts to contacts deceleration and temp loss can be calculated the key is the speed we absorb it and total vaccuum. It's mass goes somewhere when it loses its heat or energy thus mass has weight Temperature is every present,as is mass, movement and the atractions that we barely understand, and they all change as they live what they call their life. Or what ever

Answer 4

But how do you really know what the speed of the light is? Can someone give me a point of reference?
Let's say, for example, you are in a spacecraft with a light bulb. Does the light leave the light bulb at "the speed of light"? (of course if light is traveling at any speed, the speed it is traveling at must be, by one definition, the speed of light...but I digress)
Now, let's say that this futuristic spaceship is traveling at the speed of light. Is the light leaving the bulb (in all directions) at the speed of light relative to the bulb? Or to some fixed point somewhere else?
If the light is traveling away from the bulb at the speed of light relative to the bulb, wouldn't the light traveling towards the front of the craft be traveling at twice the speed of light?
If this theoretical spaceship had a transparent windshield in front, would the light be able to penetrate it and go twice the speed of light? If so, if someone in another spaceship going the other direction saw it, what would they see? Is it just a red-shift blue-shift thing? If so, what happened to the "constant" of the speed of light?

Answer 5

This is an intriguing question.
I do not think that light gains weight upon entering water or any other body of different density for the matter.
Why? i'm sorry to say i dont know, but i think that your statement about light's speed decreasing when passing through water is wrong. But then again i'm just guessing.

good question though!

Answer 6

Take the flower & weight it.
now u smell it & weight it again the difference in the weight is the weight created by photon in the water when it passes from water.

Answer 7

there is a different between group velocity and phase velocity.
c is the light of speed in VACUUM , not in material; phase velocity can be higher than c in certain situation, but it does not violate the Einstein's theory or any physical laws.

Answer 8

Of course they did. but the measurement is too small to calculate.

Answer 9

but i still don't think light have a mass.