The speed of light, almost always written as c (for celerity, an archaic term for swiftness of motion), is a constant which is a strange consequence of Einstein's theory of relativity. Photons (packets of light) always travel at the speed of light in a vacuum. Einstein's theories also led to the rather surprising consequence that mass and energy are related by the speed of light in what has become the most famous equation in physics:
[math] E = mc^{2} [/math]
Where:
To learn more about the speed of light and its strange effects please see hyperphysics, for the equation [math] E = mc^{2} [/math] specifically please see the hyperphysics article on relativity.
Bethel Afework, Allison Campbell, Jordan Hanania, Kailyn Stenhouse, Z. Sumners, Jason Donev
Last updated: July 30, 2020
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