How can a photons velocity be slowed down when they pass through air, water, etc? If photons can be slowed down to slower than light speed, then would it not be possible for a "futuristic lightspeed rocket" to catch up to a photon? And also how can someone measure a slower speed (other than...
thanx, of course I was missing something really obvious. Just out of curiosity where in the universe, if at all, does a particle and its anti particle come into contact with each other? Does this happen a lot in the universe? Have scientists ever witnessed it naturally or artificially? Does...
I am currently reading The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene and have a question about a topic in it. On p.9 he is talking about muons, electrons, positrons, and all that other good stuff. He explains that when particles and their anti-particles come into contact with each other, they...
Thanx, for the help, but I just asked my teacher. There are ceratain compounds and elements that we just need to remember. The charges are given in the book, but thanks anyway, I'm sure ill have more questions soon.
How do you find out the charge of a compound/ion when a question just says "Calcium ion"? Do I need more info on it, am I missing something?
I'll give a few examples:
Sulfite ion
sulfur dioxide
sulfur trioxide
I need to know the number that goes in front of the charges. Please don't...
I'm still not completely there, but I'm defenately much closer to the answer than when I started :approve: . You did a good job in explaining the process to me. Thanx.
P.S. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to do so. :wink:
I kind of get what you are saying about the light getting bounced in all different directions along its journey throughout the sun, but it seems to me that since atoms are mostly just "empty space" between the electrons and nucleus the chances of gamma rays actually hitting an electron are so...
I was just thinking, nuclear fusion in the core of a star produces a gamma ray burst that takes about one million years to reach the surface of the star where it becomes visible light. Why does it take the gamma ray one million years to reach the surface if it is traveling at light speed? I...
I thought that photons do have mass since a gravitational field "bends" them when they encounter it. How does gravity attract/affect something with a zero mass?
What causes them to travel at the speed of light. Are you saying that they go from zero to 180,000 miles per second in an instant?
P.S. I am not questioning you to be stubborn, I'm just trying to get the answer :approve:
Let me preface this question by saying that it might be silly because I might have the facts wrong, but I'll ask anyway.
If a photon is a "little packet/bundle of energy", the photon (energy) should contain some mass, even if it is tiny, since Einstein stated mass and energy are...
No, I do not think the nature of space and time is completely understood. I feel that the theory of special relativity and general relativity are defenately a step in the right direction, but there are so many new theories coming out that have potential for describing the universe (i.e. string...