I always thought it meant from the moment i hit my light switch for me to actually see the light, is the speed of light?
2007-03-19 06:23:51 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
How did scientist measure the speed of light if its so fast? How do they know nothing travels faster?
2007-03-19 07:39:54 · update #1
Jurgen.H i just don't have that many lifetimes to read all that mate.
2007-03-20 05:29:54 · update #2
It is the speed at which light moves in a vaccum. It is the fastes anything can move. Light can mov slower through certain mediums, just like sound, but nothing can move faster than light through a vaccum. The exception, maybe, is in quantum physics where some particles either move in a completely random way, or do in fact move faster than light. If this is proven to be so, there will have to be some serious re-thinking done.
2007-03-19 06:29:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This comes from Einstein's theory of relativity. Specifically special relativity. Einstein showed that because the speed of light is constant in every reference frame, the time measured by observes in different reference frames is different. The equations show that it is impossible for a massive object to travel faster than the speed of light. All massive objects must travel slower than the speed of light. However, they also imply that an object traveling faster than the speed of light (and with imaginary mass, whatever that means physically) would travel backwards in time. This is were it comes from, Einsteins equations for special relativity. As for you second question, you can't travel there in one second. If you were able to travel faster than light, by just accelerating, then you would get there before you left. If you did some type of wormhole thing, then nothing would happen. I don't know what you mean the same location as Neptunian. I assume that if you flew there, you could land wherever you wanted.
2016-03-16 23:01:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
speed of light means the distance which a photon of light travels per second. it is 3*10^8 m/second
2007-03-19 06:33:42 · answer #3 · answered by pooh s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the time interval between hitting the switch and seeing the light is not the light speed but depends on light speed. The speed would be the distance between you and lamp divided by the time between hitting the switch to seeing the light.
2007-03-19 06:38:03 · answer #4 · answered by Banzan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not exactly, as that time depends on the time it takes for the switch to throw and engage, and for the bulb to heat sufficiently to produce light.
The speed of light is how fast light travels over a distance in time. It is so fast (186,282 miles per second) that it requires long distances of separation in order to even observe. For example, light from the sun takes about 9 minutes to reach the earth.
2007-03-19 06:56:20 · answer #5 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well..
speed of light is how fast light travels in a vacuum...so far, we haven't discovered anythin that travels faster than light...
it's speed is about 186,000 miles per hour..
2007-03-19 07:55:51 · answer #6 · answered by Maverick977 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is the distance light will travel in a vacuum which is something like 186,000 miles per second. This is also considered the "c" or constant in Einstein's theory famously known as E=Mc2 or Energy = Mass multiplied by constant (speed of light) squared.
The speed of light in your lightbulb travels at the constant speed inside the lightbulb IF its a pure vacuum. However, once light radiates outside of the bulb it passes through a medium and depending upon the viscosity or density of that medium, light will travel at a phased constant of slightly less than the speed of light in a vacuum.
In short, when YOU see the light outside of the lightbulb, its traveling a little slower than the speed of light. But don't worry. You can't tell the difference.
2007-03-19 07:05:15 · answer #7 · answered by krollohare2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
186,282,397 miles per second.
it has been debated that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. however, that isn't exactly true. information could never travel faster than the speed of light, however, this wikipedia source alludes to the caesium-laser experiment that probably made Newton roll over in his grave.
2007-03-19 06:37:20 · answer #8 · answered by Sam 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The speed of light in a vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning "swiftness". It is the speed of all electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum, not just visible light.
In metric units, c is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (1,079,252,848.8 km/h). Note that this speed is a definition, not a measurement. Since the fundamental SI unit of length, the metre, has been defined since October 21, 1983 in terms of the speed of light; one metre is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Converted to imperial units, the speed of light is approximately 186,282.397 miles per second, or 670,616,629.384 miles per hour, or almost one foot per nanosecond.
2007-03-19 06:33:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second.
2007-03-19 06:31:26 · answer #10 · answered by cappy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋