disproving of the theory of relevitivty

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Avatar of shadowslayer

The theory says the closer you are to the speed of light the more time slows down the why isn't light instant? we all know that light can go only so fast bu because of the theory why isn't it instant please someone explain it to me...

Avatar of Sharukin

Light is not instant because it isn't is about all we can say. Physics tries to describe the universe, it doesn't necessarily try to explain why things are that way. As an example, Newton set out to produce a working theory of how things move and especially how they are affected by gravity. His theory appears to allow gravity to act instantly at any distance, something he acknowledged as being doubtful. Newton's get out was to "frame no hypotheses". In other words, he didn't attempt to explain the workings of gravity, he just devised a description which worked well enough to make useful predictions.

 

 Now to deal with your specific case. We are travelling at a substantial fraction of the speed of light. How do you know? What did you use as a reference to measure that speed? That's the thing about relativity, it says there are no absolute fixed reference points. If we measure our motion relative to a star for example, how do we know it is not the star that is moving? It could be that both of us are moving. We have no way measure the movement absolutely. What we do know is that it doesn't matter whether we are moving, our reference point is moving, or even which direction we are moving, light will still be measured as having the same speed no matter which direction it comes from. Relativity just sets out to describe this mind boggling state of affairs.


Avatar of DuffDuncs

That's the wonderful thing about relativity...  the fact that wherever the observer is, and no matter how fast they are moving in relation to light, light will always appear to be moving the same speed.  Therefore it stands to reason that if the speed of light is absolute, then the time it takes to travel a distance must be relative to the observer - hence relativity!  It is time that is relative, not the spped of light. 

 

The speed of light is just about the most instantaneous thing that exists in the universe - 186,000 miles per second!  As far the we are concerned (on our tiny little planet in the western spiral arm of an equally insubstantial galaxy) that is instant...


Avatar of shadowslayer
on the subject of light what happens to the light that is "absorbed" by pure black
Avatar of shadowslayer
I mean what happens to the electrons? I know you cannot destroy matter so what happens to it?