Where Do You Stop? (Do electrons or photons move faster than the speed of light?)

  • #1
cathrynliz
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The title is from a great book by Eric Kraft, who plays around with one's physical-being in elemental terms in an excellent novel. He is very funny.
To get down to my question: Do electrons or photons on anything move faster than the speed of light?
 
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  • #2
cathrynliz said:
The title is from a great book by Eric Kraft, who plays around with one's physical-being in elemental terms in an excellent novel. He is very funny.
To get down to my question: Do electrons or photons on anything move faster than the speed of light?
No.
 
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Likes Leopold89 and vanhees71

1. Do electrons or photons have mass?

Both electrons and photons have mass, but photons have a much smaller mass compared to electrons. The mass of an electron is approximately 9.11 x 10^-31 kilograms, while the mass of a photon is approximately 2.48 x 10^-35 kilograms.

2. Can electrons or photons travel faster than the speed of light?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, which is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. This means that neither electrons nor photons can travel faster than the speed of light.

3. How fast do electrons and photons actually travel?

The speed of electrons and photons can vary depending on the medium they are traveling through. In a vacuum, both electrons and photons travel at the speed of light. However, in other mediums such as air or water, their speed can be slightly slower due to interactions with particles in the medium.

4. Can electrons or photons be accelerated to the speed of light?

Electrons and photons can both be accelerated to very high speeds, but they can never reach the speed of light. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases, making it more difficult to accelerate further. This is known as the theory of special relativity.

5. Why is the speed of light considered the ultimate speed limit?

The speed of light is considered the ultimate speed limit because it is the maximum speed at which energy, information, or matter can travel. This is due to the fundamental laws of physics and the fact that as an object approaches the speed of light, its mass and energy increase infinitely, making it impossible to accelerate further.

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