Can the speed of light be slowed down ever? - ProProfs Discuss
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Can the speed of light be slowed down ever?

Asked by Howard Reyes, Last updated: Mar 29, 2024

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2 Answers

M. Pollock

M. Pollock

A person who loves taking epic photos and an avid traveler

M. Pollock
M. Pollock, Photographer, BA, Camden Town

Answered Sep 27, 2019

Yes, the speed of light can be slowed down. Although Albert Einstein postulated that the speed of light is constant, this is true only when light travels through a vacuum. When light enters into a denser medium, what will happen is that the speed of light will reduce a little bit. It is on this method that the speed of light can be slowed down. Whenever scientists want to slow down the speed of light, they expose the light through a denser medium. Examples of those media are water, air, glass.

The reduction in the speed of light is due to the refractive index of the medium. Also, the magnitude of the speed of light changes as it travels from one medium to another. You should expect a decrease in the speed of light when it travels from air to water. However, the speed of light is still constant in a vacuum.

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Y. Dawne

Y. Dawne

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Y. Dawne
Y. Dawne, Content Blogger, Diploma in Journalism, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Answered Feb 07, 2019

Yes, the speed of light can be slowed down. The rate of speed will slow when traveling through items such as glass and water, but it can also slow down depending on the rate of change in the universe. There have been numerous tests to see what will actually cause the speed of light to slow down. While these are ongoing, there have been successful tests in “masking” the particles to show the decreased rate of speed.



Yes, the speed of light can be slowed down. The rate of speed will slow when traveling through

Experiments are ongoing, however, there are theories as well that the speed of light can vary based on the conditions going on in the solar system. While there are some constants, the universe is continually changing, and scientists say that this can and will affect the speed of light in the future. Whether it will become faster or slower has yet to be determined, and the time frame is not fixed on when these changes might take place.

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