This is dealing with Maxwell`s equations. Are you familiar with them? Just to put it simply, they state that radiation is caused by acceleration of a charge. The medium that it travels through is the electromagnetic field, which osscilates back and forth, perpindicular to the direction of motion of radiation. The equations also state one other important aspect, the speed of electromagnetic radiation (light) in a vacuum is constant. If light speed were any less than it is, the oscilations would quickly die in strength. If it were any more than it is, the oscilations would quickly grow to infinite strength (in violation of energy conservation). So the speed of light is what it is because if it were different, the entire universe wouldn`t be what it is today. Notice that nowhere in this explanation did I make mention of light`s mass....

Well, you see, in order for light to travel at the universe`s ultimate speed, it logicaly has to be massless, other wise it would be infinitely massive at light speed. So light has a rest mass of zero, which at light speed is a finite value. LIGHT DOES HAVE MASS, just not a rest. But the instant light is created, it accelerates infinitely fast to light speed, and remains at that speed indefinitely (in a vacuum). So in other words, light has to travel at light speed, but also has to be massless to do so.

• RE: RE: RE: RE: light - - March 22, 2000 - 02:55 UTC
• RE: RE: RE: RE: light - - March 22, 2000 - 03:01 UTC