Does the way you think of it affect any quantitative predictions? If not, it's not a physics question.aditya ver.2.0 said:...or can light be thought ...
The old idea that light propagates in a medium implies that there is just one particular Inertial Reference Frame (IRF) in which light propagates at a constant speed called "c". If that were true then we wouldn't call it spacetime, it would just be space, and time would be independent of space. But theories based on those ideas end up being rather cumbersome and confusing. On the other hand, Special Relativity asserts that light propagates at c in any and every IRF, no matter what the relative speeds are between those IRF's and that is a much simpler concept and still comports with everything we can measure about light, space and time.aditya ver.2.0 said:Since the medium in which light propagates is space time, would light be able to exist if spacetime did not exist?
Rather than thinking of Special Relativity as a problem, it is a simple solution to what would otherwise be an intractable problem in thinking about light, space and time.aditya ver.2.0 said:Is this like one of those chicken/egg problems, or can light be thought of as a legitimately independent entity?
Isn't the speed of light constant in non-inertial frameoo)ghwellsjr said:The old idea that light propagates in a medium implies that there is just one particular Inertial Reference Frame (IRF) in which light propagates at a constant speed called "c". If that were true then we wouldn't call it spacetime, it would just be space, and time would be independent of space. But theories based on those ideas end up being rather cumbersome and confusing. On the other hand, Special Relativity asserts that light propagates at c in any and every IRF, no matter what the relative speeds are between those IRF's and that is a much simpler concept and still comports with everything we can measure about light, space and time.Rather than thinking of Special Relativity as a problem, it is a simple solution to what would otherwise be an intractable problem in thinking about light, space and time.
The speed of light is constant in the non-inertial frames I make using the radar method but other people make non-inertial frames in which the speed of light is not constant. There's no standard way (no rules) to make a non-inertial frame so you can do it any way you like. For example, in the coordinate system defined by GPS, the speed of light is not constant.aditya ver.2.0 said:Isn't the speed of light constant in non-inertial frameoo)
Not in general, no.aditya ver.2.0 said:Isn't the speed of light constant in non-inertial frameoo)
aditya ver.2.0 said:Isn't the speed of light constant in non-inertial frame
No, according to the theory of relativity, light needs space and time to exist. It is believed that light travels through space-time as a wave, and its speed is affected by the curvature of space-time.
Yes, light is affected by gravity because it travels through space-time, which is curved by the presence of massive objects. This effect is known as gravitational lensing, where the path of light is bent by the gravitational pull of massive objects.
No, according to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the maximum speed at which anything can travel. It is considered a fundamental constant of the universe and cannot be exceeded.
No, according to the theory of relativity, light is considered a massless particle. It has energy and momentum, but not mass. This is why light can travel at the speed of light, which is only possible for massless particles.
Light travels through space-time as a wave, and its speed is affected by the curvature of space-time. This means that the path of light can be bent by the gravitational pull of massive objects, making it appear as if light is traveling in a curved path.