Breaking Light: Can You Outrun the Speed of Light?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the misconception that the speed of light can be "broken" by pointing a laser at the moon and flicking the wrist. Participants clarify that this notion is incorrect, as it does not involve the transmission of information faster than light. Special Relativity explicitly prohibits any physical processes from exceeding the speed of light, and the laser's spot on the moon does not represent a physical movement of light across space. Instead, different photons hit various points on the moon, maintaining compliance with the laws of physics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Special Relativity
  • Basic knowledge of photon behavior
  • Familiarity with the concept of light speed
  • Awareness of common physics misconceptions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of Special Relativity and its implications on speed limits in physics
  • Explore the behavior of photons and their role in light transmission
  • Study common physics misconceptions and their origins
  • Watch educational videos from reputable sources like "minutephysics" for clearer explanations of complex topics
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators explaining light speed concepts, and anyone interested in debunking common scientific myths.

Doguso
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"Breaking Light"

My friend tried explaining to me that you can "break" the speed of light. He showed me a youtube video, "minutephysics" saying that if you could point a laser at the moon, by flicking your wrist, the image/spot of the laser on the moon would be moving faster than light. Is he right?
 
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Doguso said:
My friend tried explaining to me that you can "break" the speed of light. He showed me a youtube video, "minutephysics" saying that if you could point a laser at the moon, by flicking your wrist, the image/spot of the laser on the moon would be moving faster than light. Is he right?

No. That is EXACTLY like saying that if you look at one star and then at another star, your gaze has gone faster than the speed of light. Nothing "moves" as the beam is swept across the moon. This is an OLD canard and has to be debunked here about once a month.
 


Doguso said:
My friend tried explaining to me that you can "break" the speed of light. He showed me a youtube video, "minutephysics" saying that if you could point a laser at the moon, by flicking your wrist, the image/spot of the laser on the moon would be moving faster than light. Is he right?

Special Relativity forbids physical processes that transmit some sort of information from exceeding the speed of light. Pointing a laser at the moon and flicking your wrist does not transfer any physical thing at faster than the speed of light. Different light hits the moon at the different points you point the laser at. The same light would have to move from one edge of the moon to the other for special relativity to be violated, but that is not something you can do since you're constantly sending out a stream of different photons.
 


Thank you. How you explained the different particles of light is what's moving was a better way than I could to my friend. Least I have good proof of this... I'm semi-surprised that you're asked this so frequently haha. Sorry if I annoyed you guys with such a stupid theory.
 


This is what happens when you try to fit something you don't know a lot about into a minute and the pixel analogy is ludicrous.
 

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