finite velocity of light, question on fundamental constant

We all know that light has an in-vacuo velocity of about 300,000 km/sec. Why is it finite? Why is it measured to be the same in all reference frames (special relativity)? Is there somethng about the structure of space-time (e.g., Wheeler's foam) that interferes with the electromagnetic field of the photon impeding its passage?

Hi Operarus, interesting question, I have been tinking about.

Light is energy wich travel at its speed, if light would begin to travel at less than 300000km/hr in vacum it would convert in matter. I believe light in the universe is a very special condition in the universe, if would be discovered this special condition maybe we would get speeds higher and lower speeds from the massless photons. I had been thinking in a pattern wich try to explain this ... but is only a pattern.

Regards and have a nice day.

Well, simply because the speed of wave energy spreading in massive environment is always finite. The Aether - the massive environment of vacuum - has the only difference from other massive environments: we are formed by it, too!

But the exact explanation of the finite speed of light is much more trickier in context of AWT. It's given by the fact, the minimal and maximal space-time curvature ratio has it's own finite value. You can use the Heim's theory for formal math derivation, or you can use the naive explanation of mine:

Try to imagine, whole the Universe is composed from tiny wave pockets (particles), recursively. Such particles are behaving like tiny mercury droplets. Such droplets are having an interesting behavior, due the so called surface tension. The small droplets are having a well pronounced tendency to mutually agglomerate itself. By such a way, if some two droplets collide, they will agglomerate into single one big one. Why is it so?

Well, one the explanation can sound, the surface of mercury droplet is the place with the largest energy density. The mercury is quite heavy metal, but just a slightly compressible. The air compressibility is good, but it is a very lightweight matter. By such way, most the energy is spreaded just along a mercury surface.

as you probably know, the energy corresponds the matter by famous E=mc^2 formula. By such a way, each the energy wave can be considered as the particle of matter. And the matter has a well pronounced tendency to move along as straight and direct path, as possible due the Newton inertia law. From the very same reason, the surface energy tries to spread along a direct path too, thus making the mercury droplet larger (i.e. with the smaller surface curvature), whenever possible.

But if you remember the mercury droplet behavior well, you can notify, the very small droplets isn't so easy to agglomerate. Such tiny droplets are behaving like tiny inert particles, which are repulse itself at very small distances. Why is it so, if we know, the energy always prefers the less curved path for its spreading?



Well, this is the same reason, in fact! The very same pseudo-force, which makes the larger droplets to agglomerate, prohibits the agglomeration at the case of large surface curvatures. The connection of tiny droplets requires to create the thin "neck" with strong negative curvature, the creation of so called "activated state". This is the reason, why the condensation of tiny mercury droplets requires a substantial energy at its very beginning.

We can imagine the Aether as a large pile of tiny mercury droplets of spherical shape in microgravity conditions. The surface of Universe consist from large droplets, which are disintegrating spontaneously. But the internal, more dense parts are created by tiny droplets, which repels strongly each of other by the short distance range forces. The negative force, which repels such droplets is in equilibrium with the positive force, which tries decrease the surface of the whole pile. The ratio of the smaller droplet available and the whole spherical pile of droplets is fixed number. Why?

Whenever the size of droplet pile increases above the certain level, the internal droplets are crushed like the nest full of eggs. The surface barriers between droplets simply disappears and the new volume of whole pile will be restored. Such process repeats periodically in the process of so called inflation. Whole the process is controlled just by surface curvature and this is why, the smallest droplet diameter in the Universe is in dynamic equilibrium with the largest one - with the diameter of the whole Universe.

By such a way, the number of droplets inside of Universe remains well defined and constant and the internal measure defined by the tiniest droplet remains the very same, too.

This post has been edited by Zephir on Sep 3 2006, 03:18 AM

Speed is also dependent on time, speed is calculated as V=d/t. Light is the same speed for all observers in an inertial frame of reference but that is because each observer is measuring time at a fairly similar rate (gravitational and motion distortions aside). In the event your rate of measuring time was vastly different for example if you lived on the event horizon of black hole the EMW we perceive as light would not appear as light to you, it would be blueshifted into undetectable wavelengths. We can use calculations like this to demonstrate that C is relative to our position in time.

This post has been edited by Dennis on Sep 4 2006, 12:36 PM