they say the speed of light is aprox.186,000 miles/sec.Lets say that the speed of light is exactly 186,000miles/sec.Why can't it be 186,001miles/sec. I'm familiar with E=mc2,and the speed of light is a constant,BUT, why can't the speed of light be faster?
2007-01-11 06:07:13 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Electrical pulses HAVE traveled faster than light:
When a pulse of radiation travels through a 'dispersive' medium, different wavelengths in the pulse move at different speeds and the pulse becomes distorted. Ordinary dispersion arises when the refractive index of a material changes with increasing wavelength. This stretches out the pulse and reduces the group velocity - the speed at which the peak of the pulse travels.
But 'anomalous dispersion' can occur in materials that absorb radiation in a certain range of wavelengths. The refractive index on either side of this absorption band changes sharply with wavelength. In these regions, the components of radiation at the tail of the pulse interfere destructively, and the peak of the wave is effectively pushed forward.
Unfortunately the current setup does NOT allow for faster than light transmission of information, as each component of the pulse travels slower than light. It would be impossible to transmit information faster than light because it would be encoded onto a single frequency component.
If you're asking more as a philosophical question then the simple answer is that there is no reason necessarily implied by the constants being what they are. They simply are what they are, and they're constants. If that sticks in your throat then look at the fact that if the speed of light WASN'T exactly what it is (along with the mass of protons, neutrons, G, the resonance frequency of carbon, etc) then life would be impossible. So maybe universes exist where the speed of light IS higher, but life doesn't exist there to observe it. The universe is extremely fine tuned regarding the constants, but whether you see a reason behind it (to support life) or simple statistical eventuality (anything that can happen will happen given an infinite time scale) is up to you.
2007-01-11 06:43:22 · answer #1 · answered by Bigsky_52 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It could be faster, but it just so happens that c is the quantity we measure when we measure its speed. If it were faster, it would just be different constant.
Despite what some have said below, NOTHING has EVER traveled faster than the speed of light. At all. Period. Experiments in which people have claimed that something has moved faster than the speed of light simply show that the point at which finding a particle is the highest is moving faster than the speed of light. This does not mean anything is traveling faster than the speed of light because nothing is. What is really happening is that the wavefunctions of these particles are "canceling out" in such a way as to make the the point of highest probability move more quickly.
2007-01-11 06:11:56 · answer #2 · answered by Patrick M 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is the the speed of light that we measure when we measure light in a vacuum (an approximate vacuum). X-rays have been known to travel through some materials at speeds faster than the theoretical limit. This can be described by the way two waves overlap to form one, so it involves the wave model of light. If we are to look at the particle model of light, it says that photons always travel at the speed of light, with no exception, and there is no experimental evidence to suggest otherwise.
There is no reason that anyone can name right now. The speed of light comes from measurements. Maxwell used the permittivity an the permeability of free space to predict the speed of light, but these are also experimental values. We don't have an illuminating reason for the speed of light. There are lots of ideas, but nothing with much supporting evidence.
2007-01-11 06:29:31 · answer #3 · answered by Biznachos 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
light is an electromagnetic wave and it jsut so happens the the peroperties of space in the universeonly let things reach that fast.
A very simple analogy would be liek trying to ride your bike in the snow you could only get so fast no matter how hard you tried pedaling, except that instead of snow you have space itself.
It is important to note though that this should not give you the idea that there is some magical medium that light travels in, that theory was actually popular 100 years ago but Einstein proved it wrong, light does not actually travel in any medium so don't take the analogy too literally.
2007-01-11 06:22:29 · answer #4 · answered by abcdefghijk 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If absoltuely can be speeded up. However, the speed of light in a vaccuum is a constant. it cannot be sped up, because it would take an infinite amount of energy to move the particles. e=mc2
But in a medium, the speed of light has been destoryed many times over. The last result i remember, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shot a laser beam through a medium of plasma, and it broke the speed of light by 300x.
2007-01-11 06:35:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If speed of sunshine is relative then that's accessible to flow with a speed faster than the speed of sunshine. speed of sunshine isn't relative; that's absolute; that's consistent; that's measured the same in spite of the speed of the observer is. it truly is the reason that element and distances are relative. speed of sunshine is determined with information from "Distance / the time to flow that distance." at the same time as components flow with the speed of sunshine their distance contained in the direction of action turns into 0 and time turns into 0. Now the way it is going to degree the speed of sunshine as some consistent. 0/0 isn't defined. Therfore components won't be able to flow with a speed equivalent or better than the speed of sunshine.
2016-12-02 03:23:16 · answer #6 · answered by marconi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is the galaxy's speed limit. Not even the speed of light can go faster than the speed of light.
2007-01-11 13:49:30 · answer #7 · answered by flyingbirdyaws 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not sure if it is possible for it to go faster or not. But imagine if you had a space ship that could go the speed of light. The spaceship has headlights on the front. When it turns them on either the speed of light will be doubled or you will never see the light because the ship out paces the light.
2007-01-11 06:37:50 · answer #8 · answered by Boilerfan 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The speed of light is by definition the fastest speed there is. It cannot be exceeded. At the speed of light the mass of matter becomes infinite and dimension in the direction of travel becomes utterly flat (i.e. no depth).
2007-01-11 06:17:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Did you know that if you travel at the speed of light you will go to the future. Of course you'd probley die though with the force
2007-01-11 06:16:59 · answer #10 · answered by Sarcastic-cheese 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋