speed of light en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Meanings
-
The speed of electromagnetic radiation, which in a perfect vacuum is equivalent to 299,792,458 metres per second.
As the subjective speed of light is raised within the field, objects outside will appear to red-shift, eventually becoming visible only to radio telescope antennae.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: FTL Drive: Appearance Codex entry:Early physicists developed insightful methods for measuring the speed of light.
The science world was left in shock when workers at the world's largest physics lab announced they had recorded subatomic particles travelling faster than the speed of light – a feat that Einstein said was impossible.
2011 September 22, Nick Collins, “Speed of light 'broken' by scientists”, in Daily Telegraph:
-
(colloquial, figuratively) A very rapid speed.
When her cat figured out that a trip to the vet was in the offing, he took off towards the closet at the speed of light.
-
A rate of travel of a signal equal to one cell per generation, the fastest possible speed in the Moore and von Neumann neighborhoods.
In a single generation, a cell can only influence its nearest neighbours, and so the speed of light (by analogy with the speed of light in physics) is the maximum rate at which information can propagate.
The translated distance divided by the period is the speed of the spaceship. Since the maximum speed of propagation of a signal in Life is one cell per generation, this speed is known as c (the speed of light). This speed is also the fastest possible growth of any finite object for a finite number of generations (think of a long line of ON cells). However, growth (or even just movement) of a finite object for an infinite time cannot occur at this speed.
1992 August 14, David I. Bell, “Spaceships in Conway's Life (Part 1)”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet):
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| c | Abbr=Yes | lexicographic | |
| speeds of light | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
mul:c · subluminal · tardyon · superluminal · faster-than-light · luxon · faster-than-c · tachyon
Synonyms
Einstein barrier · Einstein's constant · lightspeed · light speed
Translations (49)
ja 光速 (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sh брзина свјетлости (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · hu fénysebesség (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · vi ttốc độ ánh sáng (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · pt velocidade da luz (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · es velocidad de la luz (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sh брзина светлости (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · fi valon nopeus (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · fi valonnopeus (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · da lysets hastighed (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · it velocità della luce (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ka სინათლის სიჩქარე (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · tl bilis ng suga (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ko 광속 (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sv ljusets hastighet (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · el ταχύτητα του φωτός (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · hy լույսի արագություն (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ext velociá de la lus (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · lt šviesos greitis (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ar سرعَة الضوء (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · fa سرعت نور (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ru ско́рость све́та (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · nb lyshastighet (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · lv gaismas ātrums (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · mn гэрлийн хурд (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · cmn 光速 (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · de Lichtgeschwindigkeit (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · hi प्रकाश का वेग (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sh brzina svjetlosti (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · nb lysets hastighet (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · eo lumrapideco (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ca velocitat de la llum (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · su ᮜᮏᮥ ᮎᮠᮚ (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · is ljóshraði (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · eu argiaren abiadura (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · nl lichtsnelheid (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · he מהירות האור (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · pl prędkość światła (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · tr ışık hızı (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · nn ljosfart (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · az işığın sürəti (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sq shpejtësia e dritës (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · nn lysfart (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · gl velocidade da luz (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · cs rychlost světla (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sh brzina svetlosti (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · fr vitesse de la lumière (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · sl hitrost svetlobe (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum) · ro viteza luminii (the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a perfect vacuum)