Why does light move at the speed it does

[PeterDonis]

Which is what the impedence of free space is. The ratio of two constants of nature.

The ratio of two constants with different units, i.e., a ratio that has units itself. Not a dimensionless ratio. When I said "ratio" I meant "dimensionless ratio"; I assumed that would be clear from the previous posts in this thread.

The speed of light is a constant of nature regardless of the fact that it isn't dimensionless. It's only the representation that's arbitrary. It has nothing to do with units.

I'm sorry, but simply continuing to repeat your contrary position without addressing what has already been said in this thread is pointless.

 

[bob012345]

The ratio of two constants with different units, i.e., a ratio that has units itself. Not a dimensionless ratio. When I said "ratio" I meant "dimensionless ratio"; I assumed that would be clear from the previous posts in this thread.
I'm sorry, but simply continuing to repeat your contrary position without addressing what has already been said in this thread is pointless.

Well, I wasn't planning posting here today until got an invitation by email about the site and the various topics asking me to participate. Perhaps you should ask yourself why a person would take up the invitation only to have someone like you always trying to put them down with oneupmanship comments and closing off discussions? Yes, certain points were discussed before, but the point you miss is this, they weren't discussed by me. So please, quit trying to end discussions after inviting my participation. That's more pointless. I didn't come her to be bullied by you.

 

[PeterDonis]

certain points were discussed before, but the point you miss is this, they weren't discussed by me

But you are not discussing them. You are simply repeating your position without addressing them. That is what I drew your attention to.

quit trying to end discussions

I'm not trying to end any discussion. I'm trying to get you to contribute to the discussion. You aren't posting in a vacuum; you are coming to a discussion that has already taken place.

 

[Roger Chase]

Why does light move at the speed it does, why not half the speed or double?

It's actually the speed of cause and effect (causality). You can visualize this if you think about it from the changing E&M field view, that is, a changing Electric Field causes a changing Magnetic Field in the direction of propagation. That changing Magnetic Field in turn causes a changing Electric Field, again in the direction of propagation, etc ad infinum. The speed of that cause and effect is the speed of light "c"

 

[bob012345]

But you are not discussing them. You are simply repeating your position without addressing them. That is what I drew your attention to.
I'm not trying to end any discussion. I'm trying to get you to contribute to the discussion. You aren't posting in a vacuum; you are coming to a discussion that has already taken place.

Sorry, the 'bully' charge was too strong but at the moment that's what it felt like.

 

[PeterDonis]

It's actually the speed of cause and effect (causality).

This just rephrases the OP's question (instead of "speed of light", "speed of causality"). It doesn't answer it.

You can visualize this if you think about it from the changing E&M field view

This can help to understand how light propagates, but it doesn't explain why it propagates at a certain speed--or why that speed happens to be the same as the "speed of causality".

The previous discussion in this thread addresses those issues.

 

[PeterDonis]

This thread has run its course and is now closed.