Does light have a frame of reference?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of whether light has a frame of reference, particularly in the context of special relativity (SR). Participants explore differing viewpoints on the validity of claims made in external discussions and the implications of those claims on the understanding of light's behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references a discussion from another website, questioning the validity of a user's claim regarding light and frames of reference.
  • Another participant strongly disagrees, asserting that the concept of a frame of reference for light does not make sense within the framework of special relativity and dismisses the external claims as "random nonsense."
  • A different participant posits that the idea of an "infinite momentum" frame is not feasible, as it would imply a particle traveling at the speed of light, which is deemed impossible.
  • Some participants express confusion over the popularity of certain opinions, suggesting that popularity does not equate to scientific validity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the validity of claims regarding light's frame of reference, with some dismissing external opinions as nonsensical while others question the reasoning behind popular opinions.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the reliance on external discussions that may lack scientific rigor and the potential misunderstanding of concepts related to special relativity.

tahayassen
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I know that you're going to probably say that a frame of reference doesn't make sense for light, but I've uploaded a discussion (warning: has profanity) from another website (reddit.com) and I'm curious to see if the user Imhtpsnvsbl makes a valid point.
 
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That is utter rubbish in the context of SR. Don't depend on posts from people on reddit of all places. You can't even argue with claims like that because they are just random nonsense. As far as SR is concerned, it doesn't make sense to lorentz boost to the frame of a photon.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb and say there is no such thing as an "infinite momentum" frame. That would require that the particle be AT c, which is not possible.
 
Ah, I suspected so. The wrong opinion was being upvoted/liked which confused me.
 
tahayassen said:
Ah, I suspected so. The wrong opinion was being upvoted/liked which confused me.

One major reason why we don't have a vote system here on PF. It's utter nonsense since popularity means squat when it comes to science.
 

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