🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9501301841.AA159897@student5.cl.msu.edu> Matthew John-Alexander Mcguire <mcguirem@STUDENT.MSU.EDU> writes:
>Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 13:41:53 -0500
>From: Matthew John-Alexander Mcguire <mcguirem@STUDENT.MSU.EDU>
>Subject: Light in a Black Hole

>This question came up the other day at school, and us four Physics teachers had
>our own theories, but we are not sure.  So here goes...


>If light is aimed directly into a Black Hole, does it accelerate?

No, it can't. The speed of light is the speed of light. BUT...as regular 
objects fall they will speed up gaining kinetic energy.  So following along 
these lines I would say light will gain energy as well, which will manifest 
itself as a blue-shift. (Higher energy = higher frequencies = bluer light).

Actually, the light may not really change frequecies (or, rather, wavelengths) 
at all. Instead, the mass of the black hole may distort space such that more 
light waves would fit in the "stretched out" space. (Pictures this: you lay a 
rubber band next to an erase and see one eraser fits in the band. Now stretch 
the band; suddenly you can fit three. Something along these lines...)

Cool question.

Matt Tuley
Physics Teacher
Arvada CO



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 MATT TULEY         ---()---()---()---()---()---()---()---()--- >===
tuley@csn.org                                                    /