MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Subject: Can a shadow go faster than light?

Date: Sun Jan 2 16:19:58 2000
Posted by No name entered.
Grade level: 10-12 School: No school entered.
City: No city entered. State/Province: No state entered. Country: No country entered.
Area of science: Physics
ID: 946851598.Ph
Message:

Say there is point A on the ground and 5 m (meters) above it is a ball 
which I will call B. There is a light source at an obtuse angle with B, 
producing a shadow which I will call S. B is 5 m above A, which is on the 
ground. The shadow will be on the ground, because the light source is 
above B. Anyway, the distance between S and A, put as SA, is greater than 
the distance between B and A, put as BA. So, SA > BA. B is 5 m off the 
ground, so S could be 6 m or 7 m away from A on the ground. Now, if I 
throw the ball down at A, the shadow will also move towards A. Say, S is 7 
m away from A. When B meets A, then S must also meet A. Since they go to A 
in the same time, and S has to go a further distance, S would go faster 
than B. I say it took B 2 seconds to hit A. B went at a speed of 5 m/2 s, 
whereas S went at a speed of 7 m/2 s. S goes faster than B. What then, if 
B was going at 99.9999999% the speed of light? S would be faster than 
light. Does this mean a shadow goes faster than light, or it can?


Re: Can a shadow go faster than light?

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