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Special relativity says that anything moving (almost) at the speed of light will look like its internal clock has (almost) stopped from the perspective of a stationary observer. How do we see light as alternating electric and magnetic fields? Also does light never age?

Qmechanic
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Zach Johnson
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  • Hi Zach. I think the the question has not been properly defined. Please have an introductory on Electromagnetism and especially Maxwell equations..! – Waffle's Crazy Peanut May 31 '13 at 16:14
  • Possible duplicates: http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/27794/2451 , http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/54162/2451 and links therein. – Qmechanic May 31 '13 at 20:12

1 Answers1

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The time stands still for light indeed, so it will never age.

You can think of the photon as a sine wave shaped electric field fragment traveling at $c$, and you can measure it's amplitude and frequency as it flys past your instrument. The photon itself does not oscillate.

(Bit oversimplified but probably you get the point.)

Calmarius
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  • +1 this is right but you might want to add how it's the source whose electric and magnetic fields are actually alternating as the photon is produced. Or something like that; just to increase clarity – Jim May 31 '13 at 16:37
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    @Jim: I think that would cause more confusion, as there is no sine wave shaped things that moving at $c$. Electromagnetic field oscillates locally and this disturbance propagates with $c$. Actually no movement here at all. Waves are tricky... If you can word your suggestion in a non-confusing manner, feel free to edit my answer. – Calmarius May 31 '13 at 17:31
  • Actually, what you just said to me was exactly what I was trying to suggest to you. Kudos for wording it much better – Jim May 31 '13 at 17:34