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Eh most immediate thing I can think of is rangefinders, and the weapons that depend on them would be wonky until people figured it out. Long term a lot of scientific equipment would have issues. But the most intriguing question is- if c now equals .8c. Then does E still equal mc^2?
Chatgpt says:
If the speed of light were to become 80% slower, it would drastically affect many fundamental aspects of physics, technology, and even daily life. Here are some of the potential consequences:
Relativity Changes: The speed of light (denoted as c) plays a crucial role in Einstein’s theory of relativity. If the speed of light decreased, the effects of special and general relativity would become more pronounced. Time dilation and length contraction (the phenomena where time slows down or distances shrink as objects approach the speed of light) would happen at much lower velocities. Essentially, objects moving even at much lower speeds than today would experience noticeable relativistic effects.
Energy-Mass Equivalence: The famous equation ( E = mc^2 ) relates energy and mass, where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light. If c were slower, the amount of energy corresponding to a given mass would be reduced. This could affect everything from nuclear reactions to the energy output of stars, including our Sun.
Communication and Technology: Technologies relying on the speed of light, such as fiber optics and satellite communication, would see delays, as information would take longer to travel. Long-distance communication between planets, for example, would be far more delayed. GPS systems, which rely on signals traveling at light speed, would also need recalibration for the new slower speed.
Astronomical Observations: The way we observe the universe would change significantly. Light from distant stars and galaxies would take longer to reach us, meaning we’d see the universe as it was in a much earlier state. For example, light from stars billions of light-years away would take much longer to arrive at Earth, possibly making it harder to study distant objects in space.
Changes in Physics: Many of the constants in physics, such as Coulomb’s law in electromagnetism and the laws of electrodynamics, depend on the speed of light. A slower speed of light would lead to changes in these fundamental forces and could affect everything from atomic structures to the behavior of electrons in atoms.
Human Experience: On a more practical level, most of the effects would be imperceptible to us day-to-day, but phenomena like electrical circuits, which rely on the speed of light to propagate signals, would experience changes in response times. This could impact everything from computing to how quickly information is processed in various technologies.
In summary, a significant slowdown in the speed of light would have wide-ranging consequences, altering how we understand space, time, and the fundamental laws of physics. Many aspects of modern technology, astronomy, and daily life would need to be reevaluated to accommodate the new conditions.
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Time would also start moving 80% slower.
Mind blown. Ask Neil deGrasse Tyson
From the perspective of the photon, nothing would happen. It is absorbed as soon as it is emitted, whether at our speed of light or at 80% slower.
we’d have to leave the lights on 24/7.
Our view of the stars would be very old.
Kokomo. I’d get there faster but I’d take it slow.
I once saw a pretty good video about this. He ran professional simulations to show what’d happen.
Can’t give you a link rn but it was pretty trippy to say the least
Eh most immediate thing I can think of is rangefinders, and the weapons that depend on them would be wonky until people figured it out. Long term a lot of scientific equipment would have issues. But the most intriguing question is- if c now equals .8c. Then does E still equal mc^2?
Time travel would be possible
It would not be nearly as fast
Chatgpt says:
If the speed of light were to become 80% slower, it would drastically affect many fundamental aspects of physics, technology, and even daily life. Here are some of the potential consequences:
Relativity Changes: The speed of light (denoted as c) plays a crucial role in Einstein’s theory of relativity. If the speed of light decreased, the effects of special and general relativity would become more pronounced. Time dilation and length contraction (the phenomena where time slows down or distances shrink as objects approach the speed of light) would happen at much lower velocities. Essentially, objects moving even at much lower speeds than today would experience noticeable relativistic effects.
Energy-Mass Equivalence: The famous equation ( E = mc^2 ) relates energy and mass, where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light. If c were slower, the amount of energy corresponding to a given mass would be reduced. This could affect everything from nuclear reactions to the energy output of stars, including our Sun.
Communication and Technology: Technologies relying on the speed of light, such as fiber optics and satellite communication, would see delays, as information would take longer to travel. Long-distance communication between planets, for example, would be far more delayed. GPS systems, which rely on signals traveling at light speed, would also need recalibration for the new slower speed.
Astronomical Observations: The way we observe the universe would change significantly. Light from distant stars and galaxies would take longer to reach us, meaning we’d see the universe as it was in a much earlier state. For example, light from stars billions of light-years away would take much longer to arrive at Earth, possibly making it harder to study distant objects in space.
Changes in Physics: Many of the constants in physics, such as Coulomb’s law in electromagnetism and the laws of electrodynamics, depend on the speed of light. A slower speed of light would lead to changes in these fundamental forces and could affect everything from atomic structures to the behavior of electrons in atoms.
In summary, a significant slowdown in the speed of light would have wide-ranging consequences, altering how we understand space, time, and the fundamental laws of physics. Many aspects of modern technology, astronomy, and daily life would need to be reevaluated to accommodate the new conditions.
I assume communication would just be slower.
The geometry of space would be different.
Slower comparable to what?
As we all travel at c in space-timetne effect depends on what else you allow to change eg strength of electromagnetism changes.
Lol.. Steven Wright
I would imagine the electro-chemical processes in the Human nervous system would also be 80% slower. I don’t know that some of us could afford that.
Considering how many constants have c in them. I’m guessing the universe would be unstable and entirely different.
The length of a meter would be 80% of what it currently is.
Energy output of fusion reactions would drop by 96%. It would get very dark.
If we assume the energy of objects to remain the same, their mass would increase to 25x.
I think our fiber internet connections would slow down considerably.
It is 80% slower in some materials. Doesn’t seem to make much difference.
Nothing would change. You would not notice.
All processes run slower, including your brain and clock.
It’s like playing a movie half speed: the peoples actions within the movie do not change.
That’s why the speed of light is not just a constant. It emerges.
This all assuming that other speeds, like causality and the speed of gravity would necessarily be affected
All sorts of natural laws would have to change for the speed of light to slow down. The universe we know would likely be a very different place.