- #1
renegade05
- 52
- 0
Alright, I have a noddle scratcher..at least for me.
I understand light can slow down and speed up as it moves through different materials. I know light cannot exceed the speed of light (c). I know at the speed of light time is instantaneous or stops - same difference.
So my question is this: since light slows down when going through material, such as glass, what would the photon observe? and what would we observe?
Like, a photon of light leaves the sun at speed c then goes through a piece of glass at (2/3)c and exists the glass at speed c again?
First, isn't light always at speed c? how can we possible observe light at (2/3)c. Or is the theory that the speed of light is always the same relative to everything else? So someone outside the glass would see the light at (2/3)c and someone moving inside the glass would observe it at the same speed (2/3)c?
Second, what the heck would this photon experience. Would it be instantaneously brought to the glass and not experience time, and then as it moves through the glass all of a sudden experience time, and then no time as it moves at c again as it exists?
Which leaves me to my big picture question? Is a photon usually moving less than (c) since it is hardly moving through a perfect vacuum? If so, most photons do experience time?
I am just trying to figure out what happens as photons move through stopped time to some slow time as they change speed.
I hope I articulated what I am trying to ask. Please help!
I understand light can slow down and speed up as it moves through different materials. I know light cannot exceed the speed of light (c). I know at the speed of light time is instantaneous or stops - same difference.
So my question is this: since light slows down when going through material, such as glass, what would the photon observe? and what would we observe?
Like, a photon of light leaves the sun at speed c then goes through a piece of glass at (2/3)c and exists the glass at speed c again?
First, isn't light always at speed c? how can we possible observe light at (2/3)c. Or is the theory that the speed of light is always the same relative to everything else? So someone outside the glass would see the light at (2/3)c and someone moving inside the glass would observe it at the same speed (2/3)c?
Second, what the heck would this photon experience. Would it be instantaneously brought to the glass and not experience time, and then as it moves through the glass all of a sudden experience time, and then no time as it moves at c again as it exists?
Which leaves me to my big picture question? Is a photon usually moving less than (c) since it is hardly moving through a perfect vacuum? If so, most photons do experience time?
I am just trying to figure out what happens as photons move through stopped time to some slow time as they change speed.
I hope I articulated what I am trying to ask. Please help!