[sci.physics] Why is light fast?

gsmith@BRAHMS.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP (06/04/87)

In article <785@klipper.cs.vu.nl> biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) writes:

>Another question: is there any inherent reason why our velocities
>*are so much* lower than light's? There is a story 'if light
>*went with 55 mph', >which made me wonder.

  Was that Gamow's Mr. Tompkin? In any case, if one changed either
the fine structure constant or the electron/proton mass ratio in
the appropriate direction, one could increase the proportion of
available chemical energy as a fraction of the rest mass, and so
perhaps the typical speed of chemically-fueled organisms as a
fraction of the speed of light. Is this the sort of thing you
meant by "inherent reason"?

ucbvax!brahms!gsmith      Gene Ward Smith/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720
Proud member of ECIS -- "An effete corps of impudent snobs" -- I division

harwood@cvl.UUCP (06/04/87)

In article <8706041124.AA13828@brahms.Berkeley.EDU> brahms.Berkeley.EDU!gsmith@brahms.Berkeley.EDU (Gene Ward Smith) writes:
>In article <785@klipper.cs.vu.nl> biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) writes:
>
>>Another question: is there any inherent reason why our velocities
>>*are so much* lower than light's? There is a story 'if light
>>*went with 55 mph', >which made me wonder.
>
>  Was that Gamow's Mr. Tompkin? In any case, if one changed either
>the fine structure constant or the electron/proton mass ratio in
>the appropriate direction, one could increase the proportion of
>available chemical energy as a fraction of the rest mass, and so
>perhaps the typical speed of chemically-fueled organisms as a
>fraction of the speed of light. Is this the sort of thing you
>meant by "inherent reason"?

	"Well - good thing - this,"  said God.
	"Let there be light-speed," so all the many 
"ecological niches" are as far removed from each other 
as they are far from Me. Otherwise, some "Great Communicator" 
will joke about Alpha Centauri, or M87 as far as that is, 
"The bombing begins in 5 minutes..." The Israelis will call
for "preemptive" retaliation against the anonymous who may 
or may not harbor enemies ... And the Ayatollah will call
for "holy war" to redeem the galaxies ...
	Is this the sort of thing that qualifies as 
"inherent reason"? Well, that depends on one's religious 
perspective, I imagine. But it seems like a good thing to me,
anyway.
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David Harwood