Shadow Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 This is more of a verifying question...Two photons are flying next to each other (same direction) at c...relative to Photon A, is Photon B's velocity c? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_for_short Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 This is more of a verifying question...Two photons are flying next to each other (same direction) at c...relative to Photon A, is Photon B's velocity c? No, two such photons are like one with a doubled amplitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 the frame of a photon is not a valid reference frame. the question makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzwood Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 Particle vs wave form Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_for_short Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 the frame of a photon is not a valid reference frame. the question makes no sense. The frame of a photon makes sense in a transparent medium where v < c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 you seem to be the only one claiming this. i have searched for an article, journal paper or well, anything that says photons move slower when in a material but i can't find one. the burden of proof isn't on me anyway, its on you. you are the one making the claim that photons don't move at c in a material despite everyone else saying they don't(including the guy you linked to to support your claim). so cough up or shut up. EDIT, btw, this thread has gone majorly offtopic. i suggest a mod move this off topic discussion to its own thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D H Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 EDIT, btw, this thread has gone majorly offtopic. i suggest a mod move this off topic discussion to its own thread. Several posts moved to this thread. Note: The subject of this new thread lies more in the domain of quantum mechanics (i.e., Quantum Theory) than relativity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 This is more of a verifying question...Two photons are flying next to each other (same direction) at c...relative to Photon A, is Photon B's velocity c? Just since this thread got so far side-tracked, I wanted to come back to the question in the OP. As insane_alien pointed out, the question doesn't make sense. The reason for this, Shadow, is that you ask about velocity relative to a photon. When you do that, you posit that a photon can serve as a valid reference frame for comparison. However, a valid reference frame (in this scenario) requires that the comparison object be at rest, and a photon (by definition) is always moving at the speed of light (ergo, can never be "at rest"). So, in essence, the photon does not have a reference frame by which to make relative comparisons. This is why your question doesn't make sense. There is no such thing as a valid reference frame for a photon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 Thanks a bunch iNow, that helps a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 My pleasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booker Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 the frame of a photon is not a valid reference frame. the question makes no sense. What invalidates it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 it isn't inertial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booker Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 it isn't inertial. OK, a frame of reference of velocity c isn't inertial. Why is this a problem, other than that others get real upset about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 OK, a frame of reference of velocity c isn't inertial. Why is this a problem, other than that others get real upset about it? Because we can't describe it. The transform from one inertial frame to another diverges when you use v=c, and they physics we know and can test happens in frames we can access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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