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KeplerJunior
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I know that they didn't actually go faster than than speed of light but I'm not sure what went wrong. I've heard lots of possibilities but i don't know which is right
KeplerJunior said:I know that they didn't actually go faster than than speed of light but I'm not sure what went wrong. I've heard lots of possibilities but i don't know which is right
In 2011, scientists at the OPERA experiment in Italy claimed to have observed neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. This result caused a lot of excitement and controversy in the scientific community.
The OPERA experiment measured the time it took for neutrinos to travel 730km from CERN in Switzerland to the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. They found that the neutrinos arrived 60 nanoseconds earlier than expected, which was a significant deviation from the speed of light.
Initially, scientists believed that the faster-than-light observation could be explained by a possible error in the experimental setup or measurement. However, after further investigations, it was discovered that a faulty timing system was responsible for the measurement error. This issue was corrected and subsequent experiments showed that neutrinos do indeed travel at the speed of light.
If the initial claim was proven to be true, it would have challenged one of the fundamental principles of physics - Einstein's theory of special relativity. This theory states that the speed of light is the maximum speed at which energy, matter, and information can travel in the universe.
The faster-than-light claim sparked a lot of interest and further research in the field of neutrinos. Scientists continue to study these elusive particles to better understand their properties and behavior. However, the claim also served as a reminder to always thoroughly investigate and verify experimental results before making any groundbreaking claims in science.