What determines the speed of light through space?

Answer 1

The speed of light is 300-million meters/second ONLY in an absolute vacuum, and even in the emptiest regions of space there are still a few molecules per cubic centimeter so that light never actually has that velocity. "Why" light has the velocity it does has no answer -- it's simply part of how our universe works, like the charm quark has a rest mass of 1.6, the electron has a rest mass of .00054, etc.,.

Answer 2

The speed of light is determined by the first space-time pulse that initiated the universe.
The speed of light is an incident and an incident takes time to occur.
Time is a quantum entity and it can only be divided to a minimum,if you try to divide it again it will go out of existence.
The speed of light uses the shortest amount of time available.
If you try to increase the speed you are trying to force it to exist for a length of time that cannot exist.

Answer 3

Nothing. The speed of light is always the same.

Some times the speed of light seems to change because gravity changes the curvature of space, which can lengthen the path light takes to get from point A to point B.

Answer 4

That's a very good question. And nobody knows the answer to it. It's like asking, "Why is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter equal to π (3.1415926535897932384626433832795 +)"

Both of those facts certainly have something very deep to say about how the Universe 'works' (in some sense), but we really don't know the answer to them..... Yet. And pretty much the same can be said about any of the other 'physical constants' (the charge on an electron, the gravitational constant, etc.). They can be observed, measured, and used to solve problems. But the underlying reason as to *why* they have the values they have is simply unknown.


Doug

Answer 5

The warp force works via the undeniable fact that even nonetheless count or something with mass can't trip quicker than mild, area itself can. which potential it extremely isn't any longer the deliver that strikes, it extremely is area that strikes via the organization collapsing the area in front of the deliver and increasing the area in the back of it. in actuality it shortens the area from mild years to 3 hundred million kilometres. As to the G forces, there are not any G-forces to to tension approximately. The warp force isn't a great helpful antimatter rocket, yet an engine that strikes area. and because it extremely is area that strikes and not the deliver, then there are not any G-forces because of the fact the deliver would not strengthen up.

Answer 6

That's a weird and interesting question. I was about to say that the speed of light in a vacuum is just a fundamental characteristic of the universe, but that doesn't really answer anything.

I hope one of the more scientifically literate Yahoos will respond, but I imagine the answer is not going to be simple.

JMB

Answer 7

The speed of light is a constant. It just IS. Nothing makes it that way, it just has been since the big bang. Exactly what happened is a bit of a grey area

Answer 8

Technically, the permittivity of free space, a constant (the ratio D/E in vacuum, ~8.9 × 10−12 F/m) and the permeability (~1.3 µN/A^2).
To me, that begs the question: why should these particular constants apply now? Did they always apply? Similarly, the impedance of free space is ~370 ohms. Why? Television twin-lead has an impedance of 300 ohms, and coax cables from 93 to 50 ohms for some common types, because of their dimensions; but why 370 ohms for free space??

Answer 9

the speed a light wave is traveling determines the speed of light.