2007-08-10 10:53:20 · 16 answers · asked by knightmare365 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
So, if my car travelled at the speed of light(in the dark)? would the headlights still work?
2007-08-13 01:30:31 · update #1
Same speed.
2007-08-10 10:58:30 · answer #1 · answered by Mark 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dark actually doesn't really exist. Dark is merely the absence of light. Light is an electromagnetic wave that we can detect, which is why we can measure the speed. The only reason we can see it is because when it hits objects, they absorb different wavelengths of light and our eyes are programmed to detect these as colors. So really, dark is just when the objects have no light to absorb. So there is no speed.
At the same time, I suppose you could say that dark is just light leaving, so if light leaves at the speed of light, then dark must "come in" at the speed of light. But you shouldn't get this mixed up because you can't really quantify dark on it's own.
Also, snapmedown is very wrong. Shadows cannot move faster than light. A shadow is just something blocking light from hitting an object, so even if you did this "hand" theory, as your hand moved in front of the source, there would still be all the light behind your hand that would take a long time to get to the screen. Once you remove your hand, light would have to travel all the way to the screen again, at (guess what?) the speed of light.
2007-08-10 18:04:23 · answer #2 · answered by Jon G 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Snapmedown: Shadows cannot move faster than the speed of light. They don't move; only the alternating light before and after them does.
JonG: Dark does in fact exist. It is the matter that makes up most of space. It is called 'dark matter' and is quantifiable.
Canxmp058: Light is not filled in by dark. It is the resulting absence of it.
Mark: This guy is just wrong, but more simply than the rest.
2007-08-10 18:25:26 · answer #3 · answered by annoyed_with_the_other_answers 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Same as that of light., because with the same speed the light disappears the darkness occupies the place
2007-08-17 07:54:27 · answer #4 · answered by Joymash 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Darkness is just the absense of light, so you could say it is the same as the speed of light. If you are thinking about asking "what is the speed of vision" it is also that of light because it is just the amount of time it takes light to reach your eyes.
2007-08-10 20:21:17 · answer #5 · answered by generalche22 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the same as that of light.
For if light is suddenly turned off, the trailing dark region would travel the speed of light, since that would be defined by the boundary of the last of light that was emitted, which is - of course - light which moves at the speed of light.
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2007-08-10 18:03:10 · answer #6 · answered by canx_mp058 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Darkness is the absence of light. When you block its source, it retreats at the speed of light.
2007-08-10 18:04:00 · answer #7 · answered by Dr. R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Knightmare, it is YOU who is in the dark. Light is a electromagnetic manifestation (not a place where manifests get on a train), dark isn't. So it doesn't have a speed.
2007-08-10 18:01:22 · answer #8 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. but only in a thought experiment, or Gedankenexperiment, as it was used by Einstein. material objects cannot attain the speed of light so your car couldn't except in your imagination.
2007-08-16 13:47:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
umm same as the speed of light..dark is absence of light. However speed of ignorance is far faster...... :)
2007-08-10 18:43:55 · answer #10 · answered by Bob D 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋