Tiny Brute Force

 

Part of

 

 

Reflections of the Universe as I see it

 

By

 

Gene Fredericks

​

I’ve had this notion that the universe is almost filled and there is no such thing as a vacuum. This notion was years before “black matter” or universal foam was popular or even openly published.  It goes back to 1979.  I imagined that the only open space was what was between things, and that the smallest of things traveled with greater ease and was affected like everything by what I think of as universal impedance, so to speak.  Meaning things of large mass could not travel as easily or as fast as the smallest of things, and like impedance in matter and index of refraction in light, things are slowed by what they encountered.  Smaller waves like radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays were so small they could pass through what seemed to be solid objects, finding those spaces that allowed them to pass either unimpeded or with a slight course correction, like bending.  I thought about that when I entered a tunnel and lost my AM station, but could hear my FM station, and why the X-ray technician needed to wear a lead vest.  

 

I thought if there was this impedance, perhaps the smallest of things could move with such ease that they could travel faster than the speed of light for those bulky particles of visible light.  Perhaps the speed that we have set as the limit of travel, the speed of light, is perhaps more of an average.  With some waves traveling faster and others taking up the rear, so to speak, like the red shift of the Doppler effect. 

 

I was told back in 1979 and in no uncertain terms that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light.  So, I decided not take them on, and I have been pondering this ever since.  During that time, I found out more about the index of refraction and how wavelength changes speed when they go through a medium.  I wondered if they slowed down for part of their journey, and yet, if they traveled the speed of light, wouldn’t they have to be going faster at some point to make up the lost time?  I admit my lack of knowledge and study on the subject made for some questionable results, but as time went on and I heard about studies that showed matter traveling faster than light as much as 200 times, and heard about quantum entanglement, which seemed to give me carte blanche to propose faster-than-light actions and reactions.

 

I am still on the hunt for more answers and expect to be for now on.  But I am now very confident that the constant we call “c” is more of a suggested speed limit, and violators must be prepared to answer for their actions.  I will not be doing anything to “prove” my thoughts.  I am still resigned to not “taking on science, just still wondering why, why.