Question

Does the speed of light slow down near heavier objects? if yes, Explain

Answer 1

yes dear specially when it passes close to a very huge heavy object like sun or close to a star ..

Answer 2

The space fibers, as per the Einstein, is curved around the massive objects. so every thing passing near a massive object get curved as per the curvature around the object. and this is why an object revolves around other. it only changes its direction

Answer 3

\[3*10^8\]

Answer 4

the speed doesn't change, but space is curved around massive objects, so it has to travel a longer path and therefore takes more time (which has the net effect of seeming to 'slow' it)

Answer 5

The speed of light will change only if the Refractive Index of the medium it's travelling in, changes.

Near massive objects , I think the previous explanation is good.

Answer 6

agreed, speed of light remains constant till there exists no change in medium

Answer 7

the speed of light is actually constant in any medium, it's just that due to scattering the path it must take through different materials is very different in length.

Answer 8

sorry, this concept is quite alien to me and i must say, speed changes if medium is changed

Answer 9

If the speed didn't change we would never have been able to detect neutrinos. (Cheronkov radiation)

Answer 10

we must thank @kappa007 for this piece of wisdom

Answer 11

also, then R.I. of all media would be 1.

Answer 12

:)

Answer 13

oh aye? well what causes light to 'slow down' in a material? magic? or is it all that gravity from all those protons and neutrons

Answer 14

@Algebraic! if you've got concept then only entertain else don't mislead or misguide in a funny manner

Answer 15

l2english

Answer 16

Still, you can't compare that with gravitational lensing.
If we dig down to the basics of refraction.. I think the slowing down maybe because of interaction between light's electromagnetic field and the medium's e.m. field.

Answer 17

no kidding. absorption and re-emission. ie scattering

Answer 18

can you explain please.

Answer 19

read the wiki page or something.

Answer 20

The speed of light does not decrease. Anything moving at the speed of light stays at the speed of light and cannot be slowed down (unless you want to talk about "tachyons" that may or may not exist)..... When light passes through a medium the particles of light, photons, do not change speed. The wavelength of light though, does change. There is a simple relation that you can follow

(wavelength in medium) = (wavelength in vacuum) / (index of refraction of medium)

What is really slowing the photons down is their interaction with the particles in the medium, which shortens the wavelength. The photons themselves though still are moving at the speed of light, it is just this interaction that causes the dilation.
so i don't think scattering makes any sense, it's just a blunder. or may be i am wrong

Answer 21

hope this help you

Answer 22

I'll say that, 'c' is indeed constant but not exactly the speed of light, as, the basic R.I. definition is based on such speeds only.
During interaction with particles , light tends to behave as a particle. So, I think the photon-particle interaction thing must be the reason.

Answer 23

speed always remain constant, it's just interaction that acts as obstacle slowing down the speed

Answer 24

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattering

learn all about it here.

Answer 25

nice to know, people believe in wikipedia

Answer 26

there's no term = 'speed' in the page suggested. I

Answer 27

rfl

Answer 28

lol