Hello, scientists!
I would like to note that this is my first post ever, so this may not be perfect, but I decided to see how I do! Speaking of this blog, you may be asking why I started it. Well, I like science and math, and the two seem to go hand in hand. I also decided that many people don't enjoy science as much as possible because it can be boring if presented in the wrong way. With this blog, I'll (try) to make science more interesting than you may have thought before.
Anyway, I should probably move on today's topic: the speed of light.
In many science fiction stories and movies, we always see a spaceship zooming off into the cosmos at hyper speed. However, we are told again and again that things can't travel faster than the speed of light due to Einstein's theory of relativity.
Today, let's try to prove Mr. Einstein wrong, a very difficult thing to do. We all know, either by heart or by Google, that the speed of light is about 300,000 km/s. That's incredibly fast, and it's difficult to make something travel that speed. Luckily for us, that speed is not always correct. To explain this, I created this little metaphor. I could say that cars travel at 763 mph, the top speed of the fastest car. You could easily prove me wrong by going on the highway. You won't see any cars breaking the sound barrier. The main point is, objects, like light or cars, may not always travel at their top speed. For example, light only travels 300,000 km/s in a vacuum like space, but about only about two-thirds that speed in something like water.
At this point, let's turn to a clean source of power. Nuclear reactors, although appearing just as a white, curved, dull tower at first, may be the construction containing a crucial clue to this confusing case. While creating energy, the reactor accelerates particles are close to "c", the speed of light in a vacuum. When the particles travel through water, water slows down the light around it, but not the particles themselves, and the particles will travel faster than light.
Hurrah! We have moved things faster than the speed of light! But there is just one problem. "You haven't proven anything yet," you may think, and you're absolutely correct. Here's the proof; you've asked for it.
When something, such as the particles we were discussing before, go faster than the light around it, it emits light. Scientists have named this Chernobyl's glow, presumably named after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. You can see this in action if you happen to witness a nuclear reaction. If you haven't, this is what it looks like:
This image is the fuel rods for the nuclear reaction emerged in water. The bright blue glow you see is Chernobyl's glow, signaling that particles are traveling faster than the speed of light around them.
This may have disappointed you because you still can't travel at hyper speed, but you can! The slowest recorded speed of light is a mere 36 mph. This occurred when light went through the element rubidium at extremely low temperatures. Incredibly, light has also been stopped altogether before, but it doesn't count as the slowest speed because it's not speed at all. So if you run slower than your friends, cheer yourself up by reminding yourself that you are going at speeds that people once thought were impossible.
That's all for now! This is my first rodeo, so let me know how I did by commenting! Also, feel free to comment about things I missed or got wrong. Lastly, if you have any questions, just ask in the comments and I'll try to answer them next time.
Until next time,
Ben's jamin'
Benjamin
P.S. make sure you check out John's math blog at http://johncooksmathblog.blogspot.com.
Source for this info: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6546462/The-10-weirdest-physics-facts-from-relativity-to-quantum-physics.html (among other things)
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