What Would Light Look Like If You Could Travel Alongside It?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of light and what it would look like if one could ride alongside it. The idea of wave-particle duality is mentioned and it is stated that light does not have a visual representation as it cannot reflect off itself. The discussion also touches on the relationship between space and time and how light travels at an absolute speed. Finally, it is mentioned that Einstein himself pondered this question at a young age and it ultimately led to his development of Special Relativity.
  • #1
SMG75
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Homework Statement


What would light look like if you could ride alongside of it?


Homework Equations


None


The Attempt at a Solution


I am aware of wave-particle duality. I am just having some trouble coming up with a visual of this...
 
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  • #2
SMG75 said:
I am just having some trouble coming up with a visual of this...

...probably because it's not a meaningful question...?
 
  • #3
To have a visual representation of light, light would have to reflect off light and hit your eye. This doesn't occur in reality as far as I'm aware.
 
  • #4
I understand that it's not a meaningful question, but it is something I need to come up with for class. Any ideas?
 
  • #5
SMG75 said:
I understand that it's not a meaningful question, but it is something I need to come up with for class. Any ideas?

Come up with whatever you want; it's not like anyone can prove you wrong. The entire premise is ridiculous.
 
  • #6
To me there is no ridiculous question.

Light can behave as a wave one time and a particle other time depending upon how you probe it. If you observe its interaction with electrons, it would behave like a particle (photon). If you allow coherent light source to pass through multiple narrow slits placed close together, it would behave like a wave (interference patterns). So to probe light you have to interact with it. A photon does not have internal structure and hence no mass. When it moves from one point in space to another, it does in no time. So essentially a photon takes all possible paths. From a photon's perspective time does not flow. But the space and time are not independant entities. they are connected by a metric that limits the speed at which 2 events can be causally connected. Light travels at that cosmic speed.

So to answer your question, the metric of space and time does not change for inertial observers and so you will see the light speeding away at the cosmic speed no matter how fast you run along with it. This also means that light moves at an aboslute speed! But this creates paradoxes... which is resolved by the special theory of relativity
 
  • #7
This is the question Einstein asked himself at 16 years old. He concluded that the light would "look like" a stationary, oscillating e-m field - impossible according to Maxwell's equations. Yes, he apparently was familiar with Maxwell's equations at 16! He finally resolved the contradiction by assuming (postulating) that it was impossible to travel at the speed of light. This, and the other postulate, led to Special Relativity
 

1. What is the color of light?

Light can be seen in various colors, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. These colors are known as the visible spectrum, and they are the colors of the rainbow. The color of light depends on its wavelength, with shorter wavelengths appearing as blue or violet and longer wavelengths appearing as red or orange.

2. Is light a wave or a particle?

This is a complex question with a nuanced answer. In some experiments, light behaves like a wave, with properties such as diffraction and interference. In other experiments, it behaves like a particle, with properties such as energy and momentum. The concept of wave-particle duality explains this phenomenon, where light can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior depending on the experiment.

3. How does light travel?

Light travels in a straight line at a constant speed of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. This speed is known as the speed of light and is the fastest speed possible in our universe. Light can also travel through different mediums, such as air, water, or glass, but its speed may vary depending on the medium.

4. Can light be seen in the dark?

In order to see light, it needs to interact with an object and be reflected into our eyes. In complete darkness, there is no source of light and therefore nothing to reflect off of. However, in low light conditions, our eyes can still perceive light that is not visible to the naked eye, such as infrared or ultraviolet light.

5. How does the human eye perceive light?

The human eye has a complex structure that allows us to perceive light. Light first enters through the cornea, which helps to focus it. Then, it passes through the pupil and the lens, which further focus the light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains specialized cells called rods and cones that convert light into electrical signals that are sent to the brain, where they are interpreted as images.

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