Copper is opaque, light can't travel thru it. So how do you know how fast light goes thru something that is opaque?
Water is a completely different story though compaired to copper. And processors aren't made using copper, its silicon. So thats another diffferent story. Do you know how fast light is? Our senses wouldn't even know the difference of how fast electricity and light are; they are both way too fast for us to differentiate. But I'm sure there is a measureable difference in speed between the two, they must travel at different speeds IMO. I'll be searching for a proof url, I hope you'll do the same to try back up your story. Good luck.
I study physics for life... doesn't mean I know everything, of course... or that I don't make mistakes... but, to my knowledge, this is how it works.Sure it can. You don't think that, by "light", I mean that which you can actually <i>see</i>, do you? I mean electromagnetic waves. What is that spectrum you can see, really? It is a small piece of the whole electromagnetic spectrum only. Waves with shorter wavelength are typically X-ray waves and gamma rays, for instance - and copper is not very challenging for gamma rays. Waves with longer wavelength are also possible, like radio waves.
Is it? I mean, yes, light travels slower through silicon than it does through the air, and also not at the same speed than in copper. But it travels at the same speed than electricity, because, while the material's properties changed, the laws of physics are still in place.
My senses can't tell them apart or measure those speeds either, but my mind can tell you that electricity - as you'd call the electrical signal - travels <i>exactly</i> at the speed of light in the same material.
Not anywhere near enough! LOL, I've got a bit of education in physics too, although it isn't my life I'm sure I understand most of it. That's why I was so adament in what I'm trying to say.
Actually that's exactly what I was meaning. What I consider "light" is the visible spectrum of wavelength that human eyes see. Anything else, I would say exactly what it is, electromagnetic waves; not light. Thats what confused me.
Yup, I agree with you there. But our differences are coming up now;
This is the part were we are travelling down different roads. I've been talking about the speed of electrons, not the electrical signal. I like the analogy of the water in a tube; although when you push in at one end, the other end is coming out right away. That would be the speed of light if you measure the time it takes from the push in one end to the output on the other end. But that isn't the same particle that went out. I've been referring to the same particle, that would take way longer. Also, <A HREF="http://www.jimloy.com/physics/electric.htm" target="_new">this</A> explains what I'm saying very well. Maybe thats the proof that we are both right, just in different views.
<i>Hey, good question.</i>Yes, temperature does make a difference, because it changes the fundamental properties of the materials. The exact relation between those two is not simple, however. Atmospheric Air in particular, however, will change a lot if heated... and as densities change, so does the IOR.
Yes, just a couple more thoughts.
Wouldn't it be therotically possible to travel faster than light? Like ChipDeath's analogy says,
If you have a long enough straw, then the time it takes to travel from point A to point B and if the straw is very very long then it would be travelling faster than light. But your previous post said <b>"Electrical signals travel at the speed of light</b> in the medium they are travelling through, period." The way you say it, it sounds like its a constant, when its actually variable depending on the length of the "straw".
Well, while the analogy is a good one, the word "instantaneously" is a little inaccurate... Actually, it does take time for an electrical signal to get around. Light speed is independent of the length of the wire you put it in... it is dependent on the material you put it in, though.
This is actually a nomenclature problem, not a physical one. If you use the terms "infrared light" and "ultraviolet light", then light is more than only visible electromagnetic waves.
Indeed, that is true.
That's because the electric forces as we know them acting on electrons are "carried out" by photons. This is a new notion that is included in Quantum field theory; it's a bit obscure though... But that is the reason why electrity travels at the speed of light in the medium it is in. And loosely speaking, you'd understand "speed of light" as actually being "speed of electromagnetic radiation/waves"... No big deal. But, if you want it peachy-keen, ...
Visible light does not travel through a copper wire, that's for sure. Electromagnetic waves are capable of, but not all of them do (as visible light - it does not).
The problem with just saying "energy travels" and "lots of forms of energy" is that you quickly lose your point. The way you said it, Planck showed that all energy flow is from electron movement alone. This is a very strange statement... What was your point?...
OK, that makes sense. I stand corrected. At least I admit to being wrong, can you admit that we were talking about different things? And that <A HREF="http://www.jimloy.com/physics/electric.htm" target="_new">this web page</A> shows both views?
I tried to get a picture, but it broke my camera. :O
Yes, that is what I meant. Of course, I used the term "pushing", which is somewhat inaccurate in the exact sense, but it does a good service of showing what is going on. It is an energy transfer in the broadest sense, of course, and I could get into it in more detail... Like you said, those who are really interested can research it a bit and will find out that "pushing" is just a simplification.
I find english to be a somewhat flexible language in comparison to others, and that doesn't really make it harder to describe things - at least not harder than in any other language, that is. These things are not that simple!...
... just curious...)
Yikes! That reminds me ... I still have my Geocities site!
It'll almost be a shame to update it.
, or put special pics like trip pics and have captions underneath to detail what is in there. ). You CAN show pics without you in them, but the main one on the page HAS to have you at least. And yes, unlimited amount, just preferably under 100KB each, since we got Dial-up users. !
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram