X-Message-Number: 19136 From: "George Smith" <> References: <> Subject: Speed of light not a constant. Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 11:48:01 -0700 In Message #19130 Joseph W. Morgan wrote in part, "The idea that a democratic vote was taken to assign the speed of light a number is absurd and indicates a lack of understanding of both physics and the scientific method. The speed of light in vacuum (c = 3*10^8 m/sec) is a constant of fundamental importance in physics. The speed of light is measured. The results do not vary within experimental error. It can also be derived from other physical relationships. The theoretical predictions and the experimental measurements match. There are no "serious issues" involved regarding the speed of light. It is proven both theoretically and experimentally. " Not according to http://www.ldolphin.org/constc.shtml I. PAPER PUBLISHED IN GALILEAN ELECTRODYNAMICS "IS THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT CONSTANT IN TIME?" by Alan Montgomery, Mathematician 218 McCurdy Drive, Kanata, Ontario K2L 2L6 Canada and Lambert Dolphin, Physicist 1103 Pomeroy Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051 ABSTRACT The possibility that the velocity of light, c, is not a fixed constant is reconsidered by statistical analysis of the historical measurements collected from four sources. Our hypothesis testing of the selected data shows the measured value of the velocity of light has decreased over the past 250 years. Furthermore, the probability of some systematic or experimental problem was found to be low. Brief analysis of constants other than c suggests that those constants which involve atomic phenomena and units of time are also apparently changing. A third set of constants with no obvious dependence on c were analyzed and show no apparent variability with time. A variable velocity of light implies that atomic clocks and dynamical clocks do not run in step-that atomic time has been decreasing with respect to dynamical time. Published in Galilean Electrodynamics, Vol. 4, no. 5, Sept/Oct 1993; PO Box 545, Storrs, CT 06268-0545. The c-data set is available in a tab-delineated text version, cdata.txt. A full list of 193 published c measurements with references, and the authors' selected best data set is also available: Data Tabulation: Velocity of Light These data are as complete as we could make them. If additional data points not listed in these tables is known, please contact one of the authors. --------------------------------------- Without resorting to attacking the person but dealing with only the evidence, I would suggest again that current scientific dogma on this issue is far from "proven". (I am quite tired of "scientism" attacking the person as a political technique to avoid deading with important evidence. "Just the facts, Ma'am" - Sgt Joe Friday). Just one white crow kills the "all crows are black" belief system. Not my fault. The relevance of this to the Cryonet was in regard to the limits for immortality purportedly imposed by the certainty that the speed of light is a barrier to communication and motion. If light speed is not a constant, this has important implications for the assumption of other issues so related. George Smith CI member and Immortalist Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=19136