Speed of Light

[Eduffy80911]

Is it possible that the reason the speed of light is constant for all observers is that we, the observers are wired to process that particular bundle of energy at that specific relative velocity as light. In other words, are the properties of the photon engrained within the operating system of the human brain rather than in the entities we perceive as photons? A light source may actually emit a variety of entities similar to the photon but at varying speeds. We perceive only those that are traveling at the speed of light relative to us at any given instant?

[quantum quack]

Is it possible that the reason the speed of light is constant for all observers is that we, the observers are wired to process that particular bundle of energy at that specific relative velocity as light. In other words, are the properties of the photon engrained within the operating system of the human brain rather than in the entities we perceive as photons? A light source may actually emit a variety of entities similar to the photon but at varying speeds. We perceive only those that are traveling at the speed of light relative to us at any given instant?

Eduffy,

It's a bit like saying; "we can only observe what we can observe"

 

Maybe in a 100 years or so we may develop measuring devices that can measure entities that would be considered as impossible to exist today.

 

The thing worth noting is that as the ray of light approaches you, you too are also changing at the same rate as the photon changes it's position in space. So whilst postion is relative, time is not..[regarding the photon an us]...IMO

[Qfwfq]

...we, the observers are wired to process that particular bundle of energy at that specific relative velocity as light. In other words, are the properties of the photon engrained within the operating system of the human brain rather than in the entities we perceive as photons?

This type of thing seems more pertinent to epistemology, perhaps even with some metaphysical hues: Philosophy of Science.

 

Physically:

A light source may actually emit a variety of entities similar to the photon but at varying speeds. We perceive only those that are traveling at the speed of light relative to us at any given instant?

We are able to observe many things that travel at velocities lower than c. Anything observable that has energy-momentum and is massles is confined to have velocity equal to c:

 

Inside the belly of Feynman diagrams and path integrals are contemplated photons, and other things that "should" be massless, having different velocities. Like many things in the quantum picture, these are not observable and there would be severe contradictions if such things could be observed.

 

In the observable and hence physical effects, m = 0 <==> v = c. I would not say it's a matter of how our brains are wired.

[Eduffy80911]

Thanks all, just wanted to rule that out if I could.

[Bo]

One extra remark: it shouldnt be only the human brain, but also everything that interacts with the photon. Or, these 'other' effects caused by e.g. photon-electron interactions are also invisibile to us...

 

It's just one of the dogma's of natural sciences that we can believe our senses; Of course you can always change that, but I think it will then be a priori impossible to say anything sensible..

 

Bo