Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the conceptual understanding of whether a photon experiences time or distance during its travel between two points in space. Participants explore this question through thought experiments and references to special relativity, touching on implications for the nature of photons and their interactions with matter.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Conceptual clarification
Main Points Raised
- Some participants question whether it is coherent to speak of a photon's perspective, arguing that there is no inertial frame where a photon is at rest, thus making concepts of time and distance irrelevant from that viewpoint.
- Others reference the idea that photons do not experience time, citing various physicists and popular science interpretations, while noting that this claim can be misinterpreted or oversimplified.
- A participant mentions the claim that photons can take a long time to travel from the Sun's core to its surface, suggesting that this journey is akin to "jumping from atom to atom," raising questions about the nature of time and distance for photons.
- Concerns are raised about the implications of photons not experiencing time or distance, leading to speculation about the existence of dimensions for entities traveling at the speed of light.
- Some participants discuss the effects of gravitational and spatial warping on photons, such as redshift and blueshift, indicating that these phenomena suggest some form of change occurs during a photon's travel.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on whether photons experience time or distance. There are multiple competing views, with some asserting that these concepts do not apply to photons, while others challenge or refine these claims.
Contextual Notes
Limitations include the ambiguity in interpretations of statements made by physicists regarding photons and time, as well as the unresolved nature of how to reconcile the behavior of photons with the principles of special relativity.