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Light slows down when it travels through matter.

The only time light travels at is maximum speed, c, is in a vacuum.

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Q: Does light slow down when it travels through matter?
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Related questions

Light from the sun travels through space to earth's atmosphere. What will light waves do when they move from an empty space into matter made up of different gases?

slow down and refract


Why does light travel faster in empty spaces?

Light travels faster (up to the speed of light) in a vacuum, which is empty space. Light travels slower through a medium (matter).


What happens to speed of light when travel through plastic?

When light travels through anything that is not a vacuum, it will usually slow down.


Does light speed up as it travels through water?

No, light does not speed up in water, it slows down.


What happens when a light ray travels through air into glass?

Light speed slows down in the glass.


Is the speed of light the same in every medium?

No, depending on the matter, speed of light can vary. It's speed is inversely proportional to the viscosity of the matter. It travels the fastest through Vacuum>>Air>>Liquids>>Solids.


What is white light and how does it travel?

White light is simply a mix of red, green, and blue light. In a vacuum, all light travels at the speed of light (about 300,000 km per second), but it slows down a bit when passing through matter (glass, water, etc.).


What is white light and how fast does it travel?

White light is simply a mix of red, green, and blue light. In a vacuum, all light travels at the speed of light (about 300,000 km per second), but it slows down a bit when passing through matter (glass, water, etc.).


What phenomenon causes rainbow?

The refraction of light through water. Basically light travels through a surface such as water and the different light spectrums get broken down giving you the colors you see.


What types of matter does sound travel through?

Sound travels through all matter but some materials either absorb sound, reflect sound, or just slow sound down.


How can you change the medium that light travels through?

Anything that light will penetrate is a medium light will travel through. Any such medium will slow light down, to a certain degree. Window glass slows light down somewhat. Water slows light down a bit more. A diamond slows light down greatly (part of the reason for the "fire" in a diamond.)


Light from the sun travels through space to the earths atmosphere What will light waves do when they move from empty space into matter made up of different gases?

They will slow down slightly compared to their speed in vacuum, they will bend slightly as they enter the atmosphere, and they will follow a path through it that continues to curve slightly.