Speed of light: Difference between revisions
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<onlyinclude>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 [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/relativ/relcon.html relativity].</onlyinclude> [[Photon]]s (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: | <onlyinclude>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 [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/relativ/relcon.html relativity].</onlyinclude> [[Photon]]s (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: | Where: | ||
Revision as of 16:46, 30 July 2020
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:
Where:
- E is energy
- m is mass (often a mass difference, for example in nuclear reactions)
- c is the speed of light.
To learn more about the speed of light and its strange effects please see hyperphysics, for the equation specifically please see the hyperphysics article on relativity.