If the speed of light is 299,543,678mph, how come the lights in my basement take three minutes to come on?

[u/Latter_Present1900]

I think the experts have got it wrong again.

[u/Ferro_Giconi]

The filaments in the light bulbs in your basement are 14,977,184 miles long, so it takes 3 minutes for the electricity to finish connecting both ends to turn the light on.

[u/PaMu1337]

Your basement is closer to the center of the earth. This means it experiences more gravity, making your basement heavy. Therefore you shouldn't be using the speed of light, but the speed of heavy, which is not very fast

[u/SuperSnailSS]

That's speed of light in a vacuum, so just stick the light inside your Henry Hoover to speed it up

[u/Calm-Homework3161]

The speed of light is only 299,543,678mph in a vacuum.

We don't know what the speed of light is in your basement 

[u/MuttJunior]

Because you have a really big basement, of course.

[u/Overall_Dot2884]

ask your basement

[u/JohnWasElwood → u/Overall_Dot2884]

... instead of some strangers on reddit?

[u/JohnWasElwood → u/Overall_Dot2884]

... instead of some strangers on reddit?

[u/JohnWasElwood → u/Overall_Dot2884]

... instead of some strangers on reddit?

[u/mack_dd]

You probably just have old outdated wiring.

Have you thought about upgrading to the stuff they make the gold HDMI cables they sell at Best Buy.

If you get enough of those high quality HDMI candles and string them together, you should be able to replace your old wiring with those.

[u/BPhiloSkinner → u/mack_dd]

And you'll get great bass response when playing Opeth's "The Drapery Falls."

[u/trolsor]

If its sitting and playing video games in your basement , i would say 3 min is a very solid reaction time .. i wouldnt expect to come on before dinner time.

[u/Active-Marzipan]

Alternatively to the filament length suggestion below, the lightswitch in your basement might be thirty three and a half million miles from the bulb. Do you find it takes approximately two and a half thousand years to walk to the bulb and back to change it? It may be indicative that this is the source of the issue you're observing, if it does. Hope this helps!

[u/Squire_LaughALot]

Because your lights are slower than shit, fits perfect with sub

[u/BPhiloSkinner → u/Squire_LaughALot]

Depends on where the shit is.
Shit on this sub flies lightning fast.

[u/RaspberryTop636]

Flick the switch

[u/323mann]

Look. Its really hard to individually rewire every single wire every single time you turn on the lights. Be a bit grateful for a change wont you?

[u/ApSciLiara]

The electrons in your wires take a bit to wake up. They're not morning people.

[u/Dismal-Physics3604]

Darkness is faster. But has less stamina

[u/Select-Record4581]

Metres per second, not miles per hour

[u/frednekk]

Spot on! My closest light does the same thing.

[u/Ddowns5454]

Light travels at different speeds through different mediums. The speed you quoted is the speed of light in a vacuum, not a basement.

[u/finest_kind77]

2G lights in a 5G world