It’s still travelling at c, it’s just bouncing around the medium’s particles on the way. It arrives later because it’s not going in a straight line.
Comment on I can whistle at the speed of sound
Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml 3 months agoWell that’s pretty easy, just fire it anywhere except a vacuum.
dev_null@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 3 months ago
I don’t think that’s a great way of thinking about it. I think you’re describing something more like scattering — or maybe absorption and stimulated or spontaneous emission — which does indeed happen, but is distinct from the index of a medium.
If it were indeed “bouncing,” optics wouldn’t really work, as any n > 0 medium would cause the light to go every which way.
SirSmokeAlot@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
If you fire a laser that goes first through vacuum, then through a lens, then again in vacuum, at what speed is the light travelling on the other side?
qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 3 months ago
It’s same as it was at first. The speed of light depends on the index of refraction of the medium it’s in, but doesn’t depend on its “history.”
Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Yes, ofc - but we’re talking about a weapon here, the air is implied as a medium, and the very-near-c with it.
But a weapon that would construct some sort of structure or a tunnel between it’s position and the target would be something else indeed.
PythagreousTitties@lemm.ee 3 months ago
But I never use my vacuum. Might as well fire a laser at it!