Faster than the speed of light
#33
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Hmmmm.
Through the wormhole on discovery is a good program. If its US only, you might have to find other means of watching it.
Let me ask this simple question to those who seem to know loads about light.
I have a torch. Its a £2 torch, so not particularly bright.
Now light is supposed to be particles or something that travel at 186,000 mph
If we were to remove the atmosphere of earth and everything in between, lets say we were standing in space, with absolutely no universe around us -planets, suns, nebulas that sort of thing.
If I were to switch on my cheapo torch, light is supposed to travel basically as far as the universe.
So how come my torch, generates enough power to make these particles (appear from no-where? or are they "switched on") and move at 186,000 mph.
Thats a LOT of power. If someone could harness the actual light particles....
or am I completely wrong and someone has a lay-mans terms for explaining where all this energy comes from...
Through the wormhole on discovery is a good program. If its US only, you might have to find other means of watching it.
Let me ask this simple question to those who seem to know loads about light.
I have a torch. Its a £2 torch, so not particularly bright.
Now light is supposed to be particles or something that travel at 186,000 mph
If we were to remove the atmosphere of earth and everything in between, lets say we were standing in space, with absolutely no universe around us -planets, suns, nebulas that sort of thing.
If I were to switch on my cheapo torch, light is supposed to travel basically as far as the universe.
So how come my torch, generates enough power to make these particles (appear from no-where? or are they "switched on") and move at 186,000 mph.
Thats a LOT of power. If someone could harness the actual light particles....
or am I completely wrong and someone has a lay-mans terms for explaining where all this energy comes from...
#34
Yes, its confusing. Which is why the men with maths and physics problems are going back to the men who read philosophy as we can't answer a lot of these problems with maths.
#35
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Carl,
the force required is mass x acceleration and as light particles have a mass of near zero, the force required is very small.
Once a particle is moving in a vacuum it will travel forever - until it hits the edge of the universe.
the force required is mass x acceleration and as light particles have a mass of near zero, the force required is very small.
Once a particle is moving in a vacuum it will travel forever - until it hits the edge of the universe.
#36
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so what is light? when the torch is switched on, how does two wires and some electricity create god knows how many particles and push them in all directions?
How does a mirror seem to duplicate a light-source. The mirror isnt powered by anything, yet you can create <more> light? it baffles me and im a software developer.
How does a mirror seem to duplicate a light-source. The mirror isnt powered by anything, yet you can create <more> light? it baffles me and im a software developer.
#39
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so what is light? when the torch is switched on, how does two wires and some electricity create god knows how many particles and push them in all directions?
How does a mirror seem to duplicate a light-source. The mirror isnt powered by anything, yet you can create <more> light? it baffles me and im a software developer.
How does a mirror seem to duplicate a light-source. The mirror isnt powered by anything, yet you can create <more> light? it baffles me and im a software developer.
A mirror does not create more light - it reflects back the existing photons, minus a few as they get lost in the glass, silver surface etc.
Bluddy programmers.
#41
#42
This is where it all goes very wrong, as some say that by observing the state of something in the universe can in fact cause its demise... which is not good... if you think about it. But there is a lot of stuff out there to look at yet
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#48
Yes, was a typo but both, the LHC would become the "Large Hamster Collider", not useful scientifically, dubious morally but excellent nonetheless, I am sure I could envisage all sorts of cool stuff by releasing Hamsters at a major international airport as well.
#49
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Would the proof of this overcome the last stumbling block to explaining the creation of the Universe, has anyone heard? Are we finally at the point of unravelling religious belief once and for all?
#50
#51
I expect anytime that the scientists will think up yet another new theory in an attempt to explain it all as they always do when they arrive at something they cannot prove. We are all expected to accept the theory of course even though it cannot be proved because they are supposed to be ever so clever. If it is true that they have observed such superfast particles, then a lot of their earlier theories are likely to bite the dust.
You never know, they might even be forced to say that "God moves in mysterious ways"
Les
You never know, they might even be forced to say that "God moves in mysterious ways"
Les
#52
I expect anytime that the scientists will think up yet another new theory in an attempt to explain it all as they always do when they arrive at something they cannot prove. We are all expected to accept the theory of course even though it cannot be proved because they are supposed to be ever so clever. If it is true that they have observed such superfast particles, then a lot of their earlier theories are likely to bite the dust.
You never know, they might even be forced to say that "God moves in mysterious ways"
Les
You never know, they might even be forced to say that "God moves in mysterious ways"
Les
I think maybe that if they sort out all this that seems minute and complex there may be another lvel of complication beneath it that makes this seem elemental, perhaps they will never explain things, maybe there is no reason.
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#55
#57
Seems to me that if you have a source which is producing light in a particular direction, if you move the source in that same direction then the light waves or particles however you wish to regard them are travelling at the speed of light plus the speed at which the source is travelling, ie faster then the speed of light!
It is all "relative" of course. Can't see the problem...Seemples!
Les
It is all "relative" of course. Can't see the problem...Seemples!
Les
#58
Seems to me that if you have a source which is producing light in a particular direction, if you move the source in that same direction then the light waves or particles however you wish to regard them are travelling at the speed of light plus the speed at which the source is travelling, ie faster then the speed of light!
It is all "relative" of course. Can't see the problem...Seemples!
Les
It is all "relative" of course. Can't see the problem...Seemples!
Les