Can Light Speed Be Increased by Straightening Its Wave Path?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the question of whether light speed can be increased by altering its wave path to a straight line. Participants explore the nature of light as a wave and the implications of wave behavior in different contexts, including comparisons to sound waves.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that if light travels in a wave, it might be possible to "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line.
  • Others argue that the idea does not make sense, questioning whether straightening the path of any wave, including sound, would affect its speed.
  • A participant clarifies that light already travels in a straight line and that the waves are variations in field vectors, not physical displacements.
  • Another participant mentions the Poynting vector, indicating that the energy in the wave travels in a straight line.
  • Concerns are raised about the misconception of light waves, emphasizing that light speed does not depend on frequency in a vacuum.
  • One participant suggests that straightening a transverse wave would result in no wave and thus no light.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the nature of light as a wave and whether altering its path could influence its speed. The discussion remains unresolved, with no consensus reached on the validity of the initial proposition.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the nature of light waves and the implications of wave behavior, indicating a need for further clarification on these concepts.

zuz
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If light travels in a wave, couldn't we "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line?
 
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Can you do that with sound, or any wave? Sorry, but the idea doesn't really make sense (and light isn't really a wave anyway).
 
zuz said:
If light travels in a wave, couldn't we "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line?
The waves are variations in the field vectors, not wiggles in the position. It travels in a straight line already
 
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russ_watters said:
Can you do that with sound, or any wave? Sorry, but the idea doesn't really make sense (and light isn't really a wave anyway).
I don't know. that's why I'm asking you. It seems like a fundamental question to me. Why can't we/any alien race do it?
 
zuz said:
Why can't we/any alien race do it?
See post 3
 
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zuz said:
If light travels in a wave, couldn't we "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line?
Only the electric and the magnetic fields oscillate either side of zero. The energy in the wave already travels in a straight line that is called the Poynting vector.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poynting_vector
 
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zuz said:
that's why I'm asking you.

How about doing your own reasearch beforehand? You ask questions that can be answered by just basic google search. But as I see in your posting history, you prefere to throw those questions here. And that's not how PF works, at least in principle, because of course there will always be someone who answer those basic questions for you. But it's more about your attitude.
 
zuz said:
If light travels in a wave, couldn't we "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line?
The distance along a sine wave depends on the frequency of the wave (a fact you should recognise, since a very low frequency wave is very near the straight line you want), so if your idea wasn't based on a misconception of what a light wave is (see #3 and #6) light speed would depend on frequency under all circumstances. That is not the case in vacuum - which is enough to tell you that your mental model of light is wrong.

As others have commented, a light wave does not involve anything moving up and down - it's oscillating field vectors.
 
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Thank you.
 
  • #10
zuz said:
If light travels in a wave, couldn't we "speed it up" by making it travel in a straight line?
If you straighten out a transverse wave, then you have no wave, and thus no light.
 
  • #11
A.T. said:
If you straighten out a transverse wave

And what does that mean?
 
  • #12
Baluncore said:
Only the electric and the magnetic fields oscillate either side of zero. The energy in the wave already travels in a straight line that is called the Poynting vector.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poynting_vector
Thank you.
 

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