posted on Apr, 5 2010 @ 04:36 PM
There are 4 equations that are known as Maxwell's equations - actually they are not really Maxwell's, all Maxwell did was add a term to Ampere's
law...
1) Gauss' Law (for electric fields) which describes the electric flux in relation to a closed (Gaussian) surface around an electric charge, basically
showing how an electric charge generates electric fields.
2) Gauss' Law for magnetism just shows that there are no magnetic monopoles like their are single electric charges, basically a magnet always has a
north and south pole, never just a north pole or a south pole.
3) Faraday's law which describes how a changing magnetic field induces an electric field.
4) Ampere's law (with Maxwell's term) which describes how a magnetic field can be generated by electric current (moving charges) or by changing
electric fields (which was what Maxwell added).
Okay, now, light is electromagnetic radiation, it is generated by an accelerating charge and is really alternating electric fields and magnetic fields
at right angles to each other, which are of course described by Maxwell's equations. In the equations we find some common constants: (epsilon) sub 0
which is the vacuum permittivity of space (the electric constant) and (mu) sub 0 which is the vacuum permeability of free space (the magnetic
constant). What does this have to do with the speed of light?
Well c = sqrt( 1/EoMo) where I used Eo as the electric constant and Mo as the magnetic constant.
So Maxwell's equations depend on c, the speed of light, which is equal to the inverse square root of to 2 CONSTANTS - which never change, they are
always measured to be constant.
Now this constancy is demonstrated in experiments - if we were going to measure an electric or a magnetic field here on earth in a lab we would use
the laws of physics - Maxwell's equations. Now what happens if we try to measure the same electric or magnetic fields in a lab that is moving
relative to the earth?
Well, if the speed of light is not constant than there would be differences. This is not the case though. We know that the laws of physics are the
same in all inertial reference frames. So the only other option at hand is that light is constant, the permittivity and permeability constants are
just that - constants...
So now to your other question...
First, I assume by form you mean shape- which is described in our world by 3 spatial dimensions. So if we are going to assume light DOES have a form,
we are going to assume that here in our reality it takes a 3D form...
What is the form of light? Is light a bunch of alternating electric and magnetic fields, a bunch of waves, a bunch of particles, or both a bunch of
waves and particles - wavicles?
Well the truth is all of these forms are used in different instances. However, we cannot know if the actual form of light is all these forms
simultaneously, or just one because:
Light is ENERGY- and we do not even know what ENERGY IS!! They know how to describe the their casual observations of energy manifested in its numerous
forms, but scientists do not know what energy is at its fundamental, inner nature. (Same with forces - I was arguing about this in the Can Science
explain NDEs? thread).
So really, we can't say for sure if the form of light changes from one to the other, and back again but energy can definitely change into multiple
forms - hence light energy, mechanical energy, thermal energy, etc.
And then what happens the form of light in higher dimensions?
You know, there is an interesting theory that talks about light and the 5th dimension - it's called Kaluza-Klein Theory, and this theory was later
manipulated and expanded upon to come up with String Theory... It's all pretty interesting but I don't really know yet what I think about this.
Let's not start talking about that now though, I wont be able to get my work done.. Just thinking you might find it interesting with the whole talk
about light and forms and such....