All Questions
Tagged with refraction special-relativity
68
questions
4
votes
1
answer
594
views
Theoretically if you passed the speed of light in a medium, would there be a sonic boom equivalent?
I know that it is technically impossible to reach the speed of light in vacuum since the mass of the object travelling would reach infinity. However in a medium, would there be some sort of ...
- 151
3
votes
3
answers
702
views
Does the speed of light in different mediums affect the Lorentz transformation?
We know that the Lorentz transformation is derived using the speed of light in a vacuum. But if we were to use it in water, would it change since the speed of light in water should also remain ...
- 2,479
11
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Do photons age in a medium?
According to special relativity, time starts to slow down as we increase our speed and eventually stops once we get to the speed of light. By that logic, photons don't age in a vacuum state as, to us, ...
user34284
-2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Why is the speed of light considered as a fundamental constant if its speed changes with medium resulting in refraction? [duplicate]
I know that the speed of light, the universal constant of gravitation and the Planck's constant are considered to be the three fundamental constants of the universe. But, why is speed of light ...
- 3,905
-7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Speed of light is not fixed? [closed]
In my research, I found that the speed of light is not fixed. IS it true?
Namely, We know that light refracts when the medium it travels through changes. Actually, light travels in the same medium ...
- 25
2
votes
1
answer
991
views
What happens to speed and frequency of a light beam moving in transparent medium when observed from different inertial frame of reference?
Suppose a transparent medium where speed of light is $c/n$, an inertial frame of reference $K$ which is stationary relatively to the medium and an inertial frame of reference $K'$ which is moving ...
- 33
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What do physicists mean when they say "speed of light"?
Does it make sense to say, "The speed of light varies?" Some may say right off the bat "Yes, it changes as a wave passes through a different medium." However, I'd like to say no, because when I hear ...
- 495
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What happens if light/particles exceeded the speed of light for a particular medium?
While the speed of light in vacuum is a universal constant ($c$), the speed at which light propagates in other materials/mediums may be less than $c$. This is obviously suggested by the fact that ...
- 1,187