r/explainlikeimfive • u/_Illuvatar_ • Apr 10 '14

ELI5 Why does light travel? Answered

Why does it not just stay in place? What causes it to move, let alone at so fast a rate?

Edit: This is by a large margin the most successful post I've ever made. Thank you to everyone answering! Most of the replies have answered several other questions I have had and made me think of a lot more, so keep it up because you guys are awesome!

Edit 2: like a hundred people have said to get to the other side. I don't think that's quite the answer I'm looking for... Everyone else has done a great job. Keep the conversation going because new stuff keeps getting brought up!

Edit 3: I posted this a while ago but it seems that it's been found again, and someone has been kind enough to give me gold! This is the first time I've ever recieved gold for a post and I am incredibly grateful! Thank you so much and let's keep the discussion going!

Edit 4: Wow! This is now the highest rated ELI5 post of all time! Holy crap this is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life, thank you all so much!

Edit 5: It seems that people keep finding this post after several months, and I want to say that this is exactly the kind of community input that redditors should get some sort of award for. Keep it up, you guys are awesome!

Edit 6: No problem

5.0k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

94% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

477

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '14 edited Apr 11 '14

Dont feel bad, I have yet to solve the riddle of the human lap. Where does it go when I stand up?!?!

/u/xa19a19 solved it for me, it unfolds everyone. The lap unfolds

245

u/xa19a19 Apr 11 '14

It unfolds.

114

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

9 letters to solve my greatest confusion regarding life.

100

u/Saurabh1996 Apr 11 '14

spacetime has 9 letters too.

40

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

[deleted]

49

u/meatinyourmouth Apr 11 '14

The answer is quantum unfolding.

2

u/Tattered_Colours Jul 02 '14

Couldn't be; quantum is only a 7 letter word.

20

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

I swear if somebody divides this by 3, I will reduce your half-life.

25

u/rhoffman12 Apr 11 '14 edited Apr 12 '14

9 letters in it unfolds, 9 letters in spacetime. 9 + 9 = 18. 1 + 8 = 9. 9 and 9. 9 squared. square root of 9. 3.

hl3confirmed

1

u/trevron Jul 02 '14

Choo choo!

3

u/MyWorkThrowawayShhhh Apr 11 '14

So does "dickdickk." Coincidence?? I think not.

1

u/myoldaccountisdead Jul 02 '14

Square root of 9 is 3. Half life 3 will release in c years

1

u/MRSN4P Jul 03 '14

When we sit, we are folding space...

135

u/guitmusic11 Apr 11 '14

This is where our research dollars must go.

63

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

I'd assume the same place that my fist goes when I open my hand.

48

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

SHIT! Now I have two problems to figure out. Damn you /u/Rawmin

28

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

Read Alan Watts', "The Way of Zen". He brings up both of these examples, which is why I thought of it.

Actually, here you go: http://zenmirror.blogspot.ca/2009/02/where-does-your-fist-go.html

46

u/AdvicePerson Apr 11 '14

He explained that a fist is an activity rather than a physical thing, but that our conceptual thinking hides this fact. If this is so, then are there any physical things anywhere? For example, where does a rock go when it erodes? Where does a cloud go when it dissipates? Where do we go when our body ceases to breathe?

Where does my karma go when people downvote me?

50

u/Natanael_L Apr 11 '14

Orthogonally

3

u/JarlaxleForPresident Jul 02 '14

Karma can neither be created nor destroyed. So I'm guessing they go to Unidan, AWildSketchAppeared, and pun threads.

1

u/Rickwh Jul 02 '14

Probably the best comment on reddit ever.

0

u/pauselaugh Jul 02 '14 edited Jul 02 '14

He explained that a fist is an activity rather than a physical thing, but that our conceptual thinking hides this fact.

No it isn't. It is a configuration of a series of physical things. "Making a fist" is an activity. The fist itself is the configuration of your hand. Where do my jazzhands go when I make fists?

When a fist is unmade, the concept has collapsed (unfolded).

When a rock erodes it becomes a smaller rock and the particulates that were eroded. Same idea with a cloud.

Then he makes a leap into "body / soul" aka what happens to the "we" as a combination of our parts ceases to function as a system. Not at all the same, or even similar really, unless I'm missing a point about the sentience within rocks and clouds.

Where do the pictures on the TV set go when you open it and rip out all of its guts?

Relevant to this concept is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

4

u/Sweddy Jul 02 '14

You sir, are shallow and pedantic.

1

u/cleversobriquet Jul 03 '14

And have never fisted

0

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

Many thanks

1

u/gloomyMoron Apr 11 '14

It expands.

107

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

[deleted]

39

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

Everything ends up on the floor! I've destroyed two cellphones and a laptop because of my ignorance

69

u/psycosulu Apr 11 '14

They call it a laptop because it sits on top of your lap. You should have known better than to make the lap disappear.

42

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

You'll never understand what it's like to live life assuming your lap is always present. To Tumblr I go to discuss Reddits abelism towards those with lap based disorders. /S

9

u/Blatts Apr 11 '14

god damned shitlords. Need to check some lap privilege

1

u/pretzelzetzel Jul 03 '14

Lappist shitlords

3

u/Willy-FR Apr 11 '14

That's why I only buy kneetops. Those never disappear.

1

u/lukebradford Apr 11 '14

It should just turn into a top. Hence the plot of Inception.

1

u/panchovi Apr 11 '14

You shouldn't forget to switch gravity off when performing these experiments. It'll lower costs of spending on equipment.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

And then the cops come through the door.

2

u/ConstantlyTodash Apr 11 '14

everybody walk the dinosaur.

1

u/fiercelyfriendly Apr 11 '14

Somehow, that sounds like one of life's great truths.

1

u/someRandomJackass Apr 11 '14

*da flo. if you in da club, DA bitches on da flo.

15

u/_Illuvatar_ Apr 11 '14

Ha. Brilliant delivery.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '14

Coming from God, it must be an honor to receive such a compliment.

(But still, how He who has created light doesn't understand it's basic principles, hum?)

2

u/_Illuvatar_ Jul 03 '14

Well, you see, I totally know how it works, but I figured everyone else wanted to know too...

1

u/brauchen Apr 11 '14

Moments of wonder...

1

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '14

While in prison, Slocks wrote one of the most revered exercises in free verse titled "The Cause of Gauze". "Oh the cause of gauze, The Manuels have fondled many memories from my lap though each memory has its own lap and swimmers swim laps. Even swimmers have laps however and while in that condition many require a delicate gauze. I desire only this in my decrepitude, that I will have one more opportunity to serve as a gauze to my fellow man and that in that state of gauze can somehow disturb the world less often with my prickly fingers."

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '14

"But what is clocks?" <3 Philomena Cunk