Does light only travel at one speed?

BetaNumeric said:
I never said I knew about the specifics of photonics within materials. In fact, despite your comments about me supposedly trying to show off, I actually said very little about my knowledge. Even when asked I gave a 1 line response to the question. I didn't open with "Listen to me, I have the following qualifications : ", I just explained a few things and made some comments. If I'd wanted to go in with guns blazing it'd have been a lot different.

The original post was about the speed of light and it always being the same. That's to do with relativity, specifically special relativity. Then someone else brought up mavity and black holes, which is general relativity. Neither of them relate to the quantum interactions of photons with atoms in materials, that would be (unsurprisingly) quantum mechanics. I've studied quantum mechanics but its a big subject and I went down the particle physics route rather than the quantum properties of materials route. Like any area of science, quantum mechanics is so huge you could spend a life time working on it and only scratch 0.1% of it. I happen to be confident in the little bit I scratched but all too often those with little science experience mistake that confidence in my area of choice as no it all arrogance (not just in me, but in scientists in general).

Since I have no problem saying so, fine I was wrong in how I read your initial post. However, even if you did mean as you say in that post your "So I'm sure you can explain....." comment isn't a ringing endorsement for your attitude towards people who actually know a little bit of science, arrogant or not. But hey, I'm new here (actually I'm not, my previous account here is user number 28, but its been a fair few years) so maybe I've just got the wrong impression and things will iron themselves out as time progresses.

Anyway, I have work in the morning and I should probably get some sleep...
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I have no issue with Science or those that study it, I have an abiding respect for science in fact.

I simply felt that you were taking an overtly pedantic view of what I stated in an attempt to propagate your own knowledge at my expense.

You say you were not and I accept that, so bygones and let us move on.
 
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DanH84 said:
yeah i was trying to be smart actually and draw a qi type response :) I was thinking specifically about the magnetic fields emitted by pulsars. essentially as long as certain laws aren't violated then stuff can do as it pleases.
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sven256 said:
Not really faster than light though, As it's space being created from nothing and nothing is actually moving. It's only an illusion they are moving faster.
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I don't think it really qualifies as FTL in the context of this thread anyway, as the OP us dealing with the local speed of light.
 
Castiel said:
And I never said it did. You misread my initial post and if you had read it in it's full context you would have seen that I didn't.
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To be fair to BetaNumeric, this wouldn't be the first time you've waded into a science thread, said something daft, then insisted it was a question of misinterpretation and lack of clarity rather than simply admitting fault (e.g. here).

Interesting thread though - OcUK should have more science threads!
 
I'm burning through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
 
its sad to admit i watched a prog on bbc3 with patrick moore spouting about similar stuff :( was quite interesting.

still say ninety percent is just made up maths :p
 
Good God this thread has inspired a few OCUK members!!!

Lets all encourage our kids to study science at school, so we can ask them!!!

That or become astronauhts!!!

Warp Speed everyone!!!
 
w11tho said:
To be fair to BetaNumeric, this wouldn't be the first time you've waded into a science thread, said something daft, then insisted it was a question of misinterpretation and lack of clarity rather than simply admitting fault (e.g. here).

Interesting thread though - OcUK should have more science threads!
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I havent said anything daft, I don't always make myself clear enough or take enough time to check that my posts are perfectly formed, sometimes I simply overestimate the comprehension of others.:p


Then, of course the ones who simply wish to flex some kind of superior attitude come along and even when you have fully explained yourself, accepted your mistake, and clarified what you meant, still decide to continue to berate instead of educate.;)
 
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the speed of light is a constant and is the same everywhere. the 'apparent' speed of light changes through different mediums but that is because light photons interact with the electron clouds around atoms/molecules, effectively stopping the the light for a short amount of time - the photons go the same speed between the atoms/molecules but it is this interaction with electrons that makes the speed of light appear to be different (when it in fact is not).
 
"The slowest speed recorded is through sodium at -272 C during which the speed of light fell to 60kph – about the speed of a bicycle."

I wouldn't dare go that fast on a bicycle.
 
SeydaNeen said:
"The slowest speed recorded is through sodium at -272 C during which the speed of light fell to 60kph – about the speed of a bicycle."

I wouldn't dare go that fast on a bicycle.
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I beat that all the time.

And you git, I was going to say that!

Now I have to think about the other thing I learned....

Erm...

Ah yes, apparently, the universe was formed around what? 23.7billion years ago? Recently some scientists pointed the Hubble telescope at the furthest point away they knew of, and they subsequently calculated that it had taken roughly 23 billion years to reach the telescope.

So that make it the oldest "known" light around :D

N.B. I am not a physicist, not even studying it at A2 level - but really wish I had, instead of Geography (or Economics/Business Studies as I like to think of it :()
 
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