Theory of Relativity - Wrong?

[clerick]

Hmm I though the C in MCsquared was a constant, did someone find out the speed of light isnt constant???



   

C is a constant, however, they have been able to slow light in the laboratory.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/02.18/light.html

[PFactorDave]

C is a constant, however, they have been able to slow light in the laboratory.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/02.18/light.html

Yup, C is the speed of light in a vacuum.  As we understand it now, that speed is a constant.  Speed of light through jello is something else entirely.   

[clerick]

Yup, C is the speed of light in a vacuum.  As we understand it now, that speed is a constant.  Speed of light through jello is something else entirely.   

Only if it's green jello with celery in it...

[morfiend]

 Ahhh but does it change as it goes through a glass of Makers Mark,or does it just linger and savour the flavour?







   

[ozrocker]

I had a bowl of Neutrinos for breakfast!
E=MC squared
Eat= Milk+Cereal x 2 (bowls)


                                                                                                                        Oz

[bozon]

just to get a few things straight:

* In general relativity there is no gravity in the normal sense. There is no gravitational force at all. What we call gravitational force is just a curved space in relativity, so unless you invoke other dimensions, everything is traveling within this space is affected by it, even neutrinos.

* It is "known" that neutrinos have mass and therefore should travel at slightly less than the speed of light *in vacuum*. That is of course if the standard model of particles and relativity are not wrong. However, in practice neutrinos reach places before light because light interacts with matter and often travels at less then the vacuum speed value. Neutrinos interact so weakly that they do not slow down even when they go through entire stars and galaxies and end up traveling faster than light in that medium.

* The measurement at CERN is extremely tricky. I would treat this result with extreme suspicion until confirmed by another independent experiment. The people at CERN had to get it out to the scientific community to be scrutinized. They knew that it would reach the popular news anyway and make some noise, so they chose to bring it out to the public themselves in a press release. It is not considered yet as a new "fact" in physics circles.

[RTHolmes]

US and Japan are preparing similar experiments, will be a year or two til we get the results though

personally I like the very high energy events which produce the neutrinos causing them to jump out of our 4 dimensions for a little while theory

[mensa180]

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27260/?ref=rss 
I think it's more likely due to something like the above.

[Ruah]

just light without the wave - and it lasts for less then a milisecond before it releases all its energy.  Its not faster, its just more direct.

[moot]

Surprising they'd not have accounted for their instruments' margins of error.

[mthrockmor]

Aces High has some of the best of the best, and the lowest of the lows.

No matter the subject there are flyers here very well versed and any subject will have thoughtful comment. The flip side, some real boneheads. Aces High board is a typical Clint Eastwood moment, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

That aside, I love reading about science. I am not a scientist per se, but love these technology leaps and struggle to grasp them, but fun to try. What I bring to the discuss is the ethics and morals of the extension of man and how this relates to the discussion about God. I won't engage in this though as we expand our mind and opportunities ethics becomes even more important, not less.

Of course, no one here has suggested otherwise though I debate this almost daily on economic and political blogs. The absence of ethics is a murdeous beast. As for debunking the Theory of Relativity, full speed ahead!!

Boo

[mechanic]

My freidna nd I already worked out what happens when we travel faster than light speed. It gets dark. We call it Darkness Theory.

[RTHolmes]

debunking? this is science, not snopes ...

[allaire]

Have you never heard of spice filled guild navigators?  One just has to think.

(Geek hat on)
The navigators see a safe path the engines do the folding.
(Geek hat off)

[uptown]

Since this thread started i've been trying to prove this theory wrong. And so far all i've come up with is that i slobber on myself in deep thought and I forgot how to tie my shoes.