Is the Speed of Light Truly Constant?

In summary, the speed of light is not a universal constant as it can vary in different media, but the speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant. The concept of light slowing down is a misconception caused by the absorption of certain wavelengths in a medium. Additionally, the idea that the speed of light was faster in the past due to the concentration of mass in the universe is false.
  • #1
avito009
184
4
Light travels more slowly through light-transmitting substances such as air or glass, otherwise no lens would refract light. so does this mean that the speed of light is not a universal constant?
 
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  • #2
Yes, the speed of light in various media is not a universal constant.
 
  • #3
The universal constant is the speed of light in a vacuum
 
  • #4
avito009 said:
Light travels more slowly through light-transmitting substances such as air or glass, otherwise no lens would refract light. so does this mean that the speed of light is not a universal constant?
The speed c is a universal constant. It is the only speed which is invariant, and it happens to also be the speed of light in vacuum as well as the speed of any other form of massless radiation. The speed of light in a medium is not equal to c.
 
  • #5
The speed of light is not slowing. You can test this easyly with an prisma at the end. You will see that the ones that come first are less uv/blue (heat) than the ones later. Because the medium absorbes and be heaten. Between put water or glass. The glass or water will absorbe the first ones. How longer the distance in the medium, how slower it will look. That's why you get the idea that light slows. My idea. Blaim it on me
 
  • #6
May i post here something about light? Because i got a general warning and i do'nt know what the post or not. But it is great knowledge to about light. I know a lot about the behavior of light to.

I had told climate change and the absorbation of sunlight. Particles in our atmosohere absorbe sunlight. So in automn is the sun more red (less/blue) because that light/radiation has to travel a longer distance in our atmosphere. The moon is more red near the horzon for this reason,

What i want to share is this and i think it's great, so does the light of an star. So dark matter and light etc;) if there were particles that absorbed light in our universum etc. I think that this is great to know.
 
  • #7
Tahir, your responses are incoherent and wrong. The question was already answered in the first few responses.
 
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  • #8
Question, is this true?

(13.8 billion years ago all the mass of the Universe was concentrated in a small area. Since time slows as we near mass then the speed of light would have been hundreds if not thousands of times faster than the speed of light today. This would explain the inflation theory.)
 
  • #9
LitleBang said:
Question, is this true?

No. It's abject nonsense.
 
  • #10
On that note, I think it is time to put this thread out of its misery.
 

1. Does the speed of light change in different mediums?

Yes, the speed of light does change when traveling through different mediums. In a vacuum, the speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. However, when light travels through a medium such as water or glass, it slows down due to interactions with the particles in the medium. This change in speed is what causes refraction.

2. Can the speed of light be exceeded?

According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the maximum speed at which all matter and information in the universe can travel. Therefore, it is not possible for anything to exceed the speed of light.

3. Does the speed of light change over time?

No, the speed of light is considered a constant in the theory of relativity. This means that it does not change over time. However, there are some theories that suggest the speed of light may have been different in the early universe.

4. Can the speed of light be measured accurately?

Yes, scientists have developed precise methods to measure the speed of light. One of the most common methods is using lasers and mirrors to measure the time it takes for light to travel a known distance. Through these experiments, the speed of light has been measured to be extremely close to the accepted value of 299,792,458 meters per second.

5. Is it possible for the speed of light to change in the future?

While it is currently believed that the speed of light is a constant, there are some theories that suggest it may change in certain circumstances, such as in the presence of strong gravitational fields. However, these theories have not been proven and the speed of light is still considered a constant in most scientific theories and equations.

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