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Yes, it is possible to slow light. While light does not need a medium through which to travel, it can be slowed when it is shone through various materials. If light is projected through a Bose-Einstein condensate, it slows dramatically to something on the order of tens or hundreds of meters per second.
It is the velocity of light in vacuum, c, that is often given as the velocity of light, and it is this velocity that is usually meant when people are talking about relativity or about physics in general.
When I was in college I conducted an experiment in which we slowed light to a few meters per second, using carbon gas frozen to -433 F so it is possible to slow down light
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoYes you can. The speed of light referred to by scientists is the speed of light in a vacuum which is the maximum speed. If you shine light through water is slows, that's why refraction occurs. Light has a different speed depending on the medium it it travelling through.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoEverything.
Speed of light in a diamond is 128.000 km/h, because it is reflected inside of the diamond to a new direction every time.
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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.
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.
In what medium the speed of light will be minimum?
The speed of light is a set speed at which all electromagnetic waves travel at in a vacuum. It is 3*10^8 meters/second... That being said, when light, or any other EM wave, travels through a medium it will slow down. Every material has an index of refraction which is the ratio of the speed at which light travels in a vacuum, to the the speed it travels in that material. If you know the index of refraction, you can use Snell's law to determine the speed light will travel through a specific medium. Every medium is different, however a rule of thumb is the denser the medium, the slower light will travel through it. For example, light travels faster in the atmoshpere than it does in water.
Does light slow down when it travels through matter?
Light slows down when it travels through matter.The only time light travels at is maximum speed, c, is in a vacuum.
What is speed of light affected by?
The speed of light is defined as being through a 'VACUUM'. If it passes through any material object it will slow down. It will slow down on passing through air. It will come to a complete stop when it tries to pass through a brick wall; because you cannot see light on the other side of a brick wall. The defined speed is 299,792,458 m/s in a vacuum. Given as an approximation as 3.0 x 10^(8) m/s in a vacuum, or 3,0 x 10(6) km/s. In words ' three million kilometres in one second'.
Is defined as the slow movement of light through a substance?
The refractive index of a transparent material is the ratio c/v, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum, and v is the speed of light through the specific material.
What is the refractive index?
refractive index is the measure of how how fast or slow light travel through a material reference to the speed of light in empty space.
Does electromagic waves move slow?
Electromagnetic waves always travel at whatever the speed of light is in the material they're traveling through. That's the highest possible speed for anything moving in that particular material, so it can't be called "slow".
What happens to the speed of light waves when they travel through a medium?
The speed of light in a material medium is slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. This is a consequence of the electromagnetic wave interacting with the atoms and molecules in the medium, a process merits its own question.Of course, this assumes the medium is transparent for the wavelength of light travelling through it.Light waves slow down when they pass through a medium, eg glass or water
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.
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.
In what medium the speed of light will be minimum?
The speed of light is a set speed at which all electromagnetic waves travel at in a vacuum. It is 3*10^8 meters/second... That being said, when light, or any other EM wave, travels through a medium it will slow down. Every material has an index of refraction which is the ratio of the speed at which light travels in a vacuum, to the the speed it travels in that material. If you know the index of refraction, you can use Snell's law to determine the speed light will travel through a specific medium. Every medium is different, however a rule of thumb is the denser the medium, the slower light will travel through it. For example, light travels faster in the atmoshpere than it does in water.
How slow can light go?
In some special substances, it was possible to slow the speed of light to just a few meters per second - incredibly slow compared to the speed of light in a vacuum.In some special substances, it was possible to slow the speed of light to just a few meters per second - incredibly slow compared to the speed of light in a vacuum.In some special substances, it was possible to slow the speed of light to just a few meters per second - incredibly slow compared to the speed of light in a vacuum.In some special substances, it was possible to slow the speed of light to just a few meters per second - incredibly slow compared to the speed of light in a vacuum.
Is this true Light waves do not change speed as they travel from air through water?
no. they slow down.
Does light slow down when it travels through matter?
Light slows down when it travels through matter.The only time light travels at is maximum speed, c, is in a vacuum.
Why is the statement the speed of light is 300 milllon miles per sec not always correct?
The speed of light, which is about 300,000,000 m/s, can be affected by the material that it is travelling through. Mediums such as air, glass, and water can slow light down. For example, in water, light travels at a speed of about 200,249,000m/s; in ammonia gas, it travels at 221,200,000m/s; and in ethanol, it travels 220,400,000m/s.
What three things affect the speed of sound?
the speed of sound depends on the material it is passing through and the tempature.colder tempatures will slow the transmission of sound whereas heat will speed it up...
