The Importance of the Velocity of Light
The velocity of light is one of the most important of the fundamental constants of Nature. Its measurement by Foucault and Fizeau gave as the result a speed greater in air than in water, thus deciding in favor of the undulatory and against the corpuscular theory. Again, the comparison of the electrostatic and the electromagnetic units gives as an experimental result a value remarkably close to the velocity of light–a result which justified Maxwell in concluding that light is the propagation of an electromagnetic disturbance. Finally, the principle of relativity gives the velocity of light a still greater importance, since one of its fundamental postulates is the constancy of this velocity under all possible conditions.
Notes:
Grows more important with each scientist who uncovers its secrets.
Folksonomies: speed of light light
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Concepts:
Light (0.967425): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Speed of light (0.937311): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Electromagnetism (0.903628): dbpedia | freebase
Special relativity (0.897371): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Maxwell's equations (0.767295): dbpedia | freebase | yago
Science (0.751475): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Electromagnetic radiation (0.657241): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Planck units (0.645835): dbpedia | freebase | yago
Studies in Optics