this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2024
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Science Memes

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1141
I can whistle at the speed of sound (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 months ago by sjmarf to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 76 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I mean, any other non-c speed really.

[–] [email protected] 103 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Actually, c is the speed of light in a vacuum, but light travels slower through a medium, like air. So lasers shot through air will actually travel slower than c.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 3 months ago (2 children)

(For anyone curious, the speed of light in earth air is like 99.97% as fast as in vacuum)

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Bunch of nerds in this thread.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You're in science_memes what did you expected?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

hot science girls

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Where?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

In your area

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

exactly where they should be.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Ya, but that's JUST slow enough to be able to see it.

[–] DannyBoy 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Maybe it's going to be space lasers.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Do you know what the religious affiliation of these space lasers will be?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You have a lot of chutzpah to ask such a question. Oy! What would your mother say?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

“You’re so skinny why are you not eating”

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Flying Spaghetti Monster

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago

rAmen

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

A laser strong enough to be used as a weapon will probably not leave a lot of medium on its path.

But the front-most part will still travel at less than c. It will just speed-up after a while.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'm curious. What happens to the medium? Does it simply get pushed aside? Or pushed along? Or will it eat up some energy and react to something else?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Much like lightning, a powerful enough laser will ionize the air. That ionized air is hot and rises, just like the ionized gasses from combustion.

A powerful laser will look like a beam of fire.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I would be especially interested in speeds larger than c 🙂

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)