Speed of Light Measured by Jupiter's Moons: Error 26%?

In summary, Bartolomeo claims that Romer's work is a "one way" measurement of the speed of light, and therefore assumption dependent. However, he notes that we've got better ways of doing it these days, and that if we measure all variables accurately, we get a valve with 7-10% error.
  • #1
Sandeep T S
67
0
Romer measured speed of light using moon's of Jupiter but he got value with a error of 26%. Is anyone did same experiment in modern era? And what value they got?
 
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  • #2
Not that I'm aware of, although I haven't searched very hard. A former poster named Bartolomeo provided a reference to a 1970 analysis of Romer's work (see post #71 here) which I'm sure I've read online but can't currently find. It might have relevant citations. You might also want to look at the one-way speed of light section at in the experimental evidence for SR FAQ linked from a thread pinned at the top of this forum.

I'd be a little surprised if anyone has repeated it, however. Romer's work is a "one way" measurement of the speed of light, and therefore assumption dependent (not something he could have been aware of). We've got better ways of doing it these days.
 
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  • #3
Ibix said:
Not that I'm aware of, although I haven't searched very hard. A former poster named Bartolomeo provided a reference to a 1970 analysis of Romer's work (see here) which I'm sure I've read online but can't currently find. It might have relevant citations. You might also want to look at the one-way speed of light section at in the experimental evidence for SR FAQ linked from a thread pinned at the top of this forum.

I'd be a little surprised if anyone has repeated it, however. Romer's work is a "one way" measurement of the speed of light, and therefore assumption dependent (not something he could have been aware of). We've got better ways of doing it these days.
I think we have some limitations to measure all variables for romer experiment so that make scientist to abandon this experiment.
I guess that if we measure all variables accurately, we get valve with 7-10% error. ( My guess)

I searched lot in online but I couldn't find anything more.
 
  • #4
Ibix said:
Not that I'm aware of, although I haven't searched very hard. A former poster named Bartolomeo provided a reference to a 1970 analysis of Romer's work (see post #71 here) which I'm sure I've read online but can't currently find. It might have relevant citations. You might also want to look at the one-way speed of light section at in the experimental evidence for SR FAQ linked from a thread pinned at the top of this forum.

I'd be a little surprised if anyone has repeated it, however. Romer's work is a "one way" measurement of the speed of light, and therefore assumption dependent (not something he could have been aware of). We've got better ways of doing it these days.
But I think romer experiment is only the one experiment which measure speed of light using time of flight.
And here source is moving one.
 
  • #5
Sandeep T S said:
I think we have some limitations to measure all variables for romer experiment so that make scientist to abandon this experiment.
I guess that if we measure all variables accurately, we get valve with 7-10% error. ( My guess)
We've made radar observations of the Galilean moons, so I suspect we could do better than your guess. The problem is that the answer depends on your choice of clock synchronisation procedure, so the result is assumption dependent.
Sandeep T S said:
I searched lot in online but I couldn't find anything more.
Did you look for the 1970 paper by Karlov?
Sandeep T S said:
But I think romer experiment is only the one experiment which measure speed of light using time of flight.
How would you measure speed apart from time of flight?
 
  • #6
Ibix said:
We've made radar observations of the Galilean moons, so I suspect we could do better than your guess. The problem is that the answer depends on your choice of clock synchronisation procedure, so the result is assumption dependent.
Did you look for the 1970 paper by Karlov?
How would you measure speed apart from time of flight?
I didn't got karlov's paper, could you share that?

Please also share reference of your first statement
(Radar observation). How could radar observation help our experiment?
 
  • #7
Sandeep T S said:
I didn't got karlov's paper, could you share that?
See the post linked in #2.
Sandeep T S said:
Please also share reference of your first statement
(Radar observation).
I just checked Wikipedia to see if it had been done - here. I note that it cites several references on radar ranging to the inner planets (which I knew about) but none to back up its claim of radar ranging of Jupiter or its moons, so I could be misleading you.
Sandeep T S said:
How could radar observation help our experiment?
Precise distances to the moons. Of course, this just ends up meaning that you are assuming your answer, but that's always going to be the case with a one-way measurement. If you are only interested in showing that Romer could have got smaller error bars, however, that's fine.
 

What is the speed of light measured by Jupiter's moons?

The speed of light measured by Jupiter's moons is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second.

How is the speed of light measured by Jupiter's moons?

The speed of light is measured by observing the time it takes for light to travel from Jupiter's moons to Earth. This is done using precise instruments and calculations.

Why is there a 26% error in the measurement of the speed of light by Jupiter's moons?

The 26% error in the measurement is due to various factors such as the distance between Jupiter and Earth, the accuracy of the instruments used, and the potential effects of gravitational forces on the speed of light.

Is the 26% error in the measurement of the speed of light by Jupiter's moons significant?

Yes, the 26% error is significant and must be taken into consideration when using this measurement for scientific calculations and experiments.

How can the error in the measurement of the speed of light by Jupiter's moons be reduced?

The error can be reduced by using more precise instruments and taking into account all potential factors that may affect the measurement. Further research and advancements in technology can also help to improve the accuracy of the measurement.

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