Light questions!

[vi3tbomba]

1. If light travels through space, does it displace space or whatever space is made up of, in order for light to get where it needs to be? What im trying to understand is, does light just zooms through, passes, or shifts particles in the atomic level?<br /><br />2. Why does light max out at its current speed? If we can assume that light can go a billion times as fast than it normally would, what would happen to it and its behavior? Would like go in a straight line still or move in some weird direction?<br /><br />3. Since the speed of light is slowed in the air or water, then it would do the same for space correct? Assuming this, light from the our sun traveling in a really long distance would eventually slow down enough for it to possibly stop? What happens to light if it stops?<br /><br />4. If we can assume that light was traveling slower than it normally would, would light still instanteously get to its location?<br /><br />

 

[kmarinas86]

<font color="yellow">1. If light travels through space, does it displace space or whatever space is made up of, in order for light to get where it needs to be?</font><br /><br />No.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">What im trying to understand is, does light just zooms through, passes, or shifts particles in the atomic level? </font><br /><br />Usually the light is absorbed by the electron of an atom, exciting it to a higher energy level.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">2. Why does light max out at its current speed? If we can assume that light can go a billion times as fast than it normally would, what would happen to it and its behavior? Would like go in a straight line still or move in some weird direction? </font><br /><br />The speed of light is constant, but the "second" is not. If the gravitational field is strong (even weak), light will actually take a curved path. This is stated in Einstein's General Relativity. This means that the second in intense gravitational fields is longer than it is in weaker gravitational fields. The greater the curvature, the longer the second. Note that the speed of light is always 299,792,458 meters per second. Therefore, a longer second implied by a gravitational field means it takes longer for light to travel 299,792,458 meters, even when the change in so-called "proper" time is just one second.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">3. Since the speed of light is slowed in the air or water, then it would do the same for space correct?</font><br /><br />Sorta. The speed of light in materials is slower because of electromagnetism. The travel time in space near masses is longer because of gravitational time dilation and space-time geometry (speed of light is constant here, but not the second). In both cases, the path of light is not straight.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Assuming this, light from the our sun traveling in a really long distance would eventually slow down enough for it to possibly sto</font>

 

[harmonicaman]

<i>"In both cases, the path of light is not straight."</i><br /><br />I dunno; I believe it is more properly descriptive to say that the path of light is always straight and its speed is constant, but since "m" warps space and time, light must follow this curvature of space/time.<br /><br />From lights perspective, it is always flowing in a straight line and at a constant velocity; it is space itself that is warped.<br /><br />(Does that sound right???) <br /><br />

 

[nexium]

An alternate theory is light is absorbed by matter and new photons are emited perhaps a fento second later. An accumulated delay of millions of fentoseconds from millions of absorbtions and delayed reemmissions causes us to observe reduced light speed in air and transparent solids and liquids. I had not heard the magnetic field slowing light hypothesis before. Neil