How can radio waves continue to travel for ever in outer space?

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by Vico

True, when using the usual meaning of the term medium, matter or particles.

In the sense of the quanta of the electromagnetic field, photon, an electromagnetic field is the "medium" through which electromagnetic radiation travels.

I'm sorry, your comments above make no sense - they're gibberish.

[Vico]

Originally Posted by kbachler

I'm sorry, your comments above make no sense - they're gibberish.

Let's break it down. Does this part make sense:
True, when using the usual meaning of the term medium, [i.e.,] matter or particles.

[Vico]

For the second part. An electromagnetic field may by conceived of as the exchange of an infinite number of virtual photons, wherein if two charge particles interact, it consists of the exchange of photons: one "feels" the field of the other.

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by Vico

Let's break it down. Does this part make sense:
True, when using the usual meaning of the term medium, [i.e.,] matter or particles.

No. You're using gobbledegook, and we're talking about specific circumstance so there is no "usual meaning of the term". Moreover, we aren't discussing this in a quantum context but rather in a field context, so the reference to matter and particles is nonsense.

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by Vico

For the second part. An electromagnetic field may by conceived of as the exchange of an infinite number of virtual photons, wherein if two charge particles interact, it consists of the exchange of photons: one "feels" the field of the other.

This is also gobbledegook. Why are you talking about "if two charge particles interact" when photons have a charge of zero, we're discussing the propagation of light, not interaction between other particles. You've take several unrelated concepts, mashed them together into a sentence, and said nothing meaningful.

[Vico]

Originally Posted by kbachler

This is also gobbledegook. Why are you talking about "if two charge particles interact" when photons have a charge of zero, we're discussing the propagation of light, not interaction between other particles. You've take several unrelated concepts, mashed them together into a sentence, and said nothing meaningful.

Read about virtual photons here:
http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/document...ual_photon.htm

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by Vico

Read about virtual photons here:
http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/document...ual_photon.htm

Sorry, I already know the topic.

You're still talking gibberish, because your statements are utterly out of context. I've seen you do this before, and its disrespectful to other posters. You're just mashing words together and posting nonsense. The topic is the propagation of light, not the exchange of virtual photons between other particles.

[rmills1]

Originally Posted by Ctevs

On earth the radio waves from your favorite radio or TV station will only go 100 miles or so at the very most, but NASA and Astronomers say that they will travel almost for ever, or at least Billions and Trillions of miles with out stopping.
How is that possible?

Electromagnetic Radiation/Radio Waves do travel forever unless impeded by a physical object.

Electromagetic Radiation/Radio Wave signal strength decreases with increasing emmitance surface area (4/3*PI*r^2). That is why you can't get radio or TV signal 100 miles away from the transmitter.

[Vico]

Originally Posted by kbachler

Sorry, I already know the topic.

You're still talking gibberish, because your statements are utterly out of context. I've seen you do this before, and its disrespectful to other posters. You're just mashing words together and posting nonsense. The topic is the propagation of light, not the exchange of virtual photons between other particles.

It actually is pertinent to wave propagation. The model of the propagation of light using virtual photons successfully explains how light can propagate as individual photons, preserving individual energies, and as a wave front, (with properties of frequency and wave-length) with decreasing intensity proportional with the square of the distance from the source (the inverse square law). Light can be thought of as an entity with each line of force heavily populated with real photons.

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by Vico

It actually is pertinent to wave propagation. The model of the propagation of light using virtual photons successfully explains how light can propagate as individual photons, preserving individual energies, and as a wave front, (with properties of frequency and wave-length) with decreasing intensity proportional with the square of the distance from the source (the inverse square law). Light can be thought of as an entity with each line of force heavily populated with real photons.

You're doing it again. Virtual photons are not perceived as light. Virtual photons are a method of explanation for electromagnetic fields. The inverse square law of light, which describes how intensity over specified time decreases with distance is not related; All you are doing is taking words like "inverse square law" and thinkgs like "Light can be thought of as an entity with each line of force heavily populated with real photons" - a nonsensical sentence - and mashing them all together in a mumbo jumbo gibberish. Please stop.

[rmills1]

Originally Posted by kbachler

You're doing it again. Virtual photons are not perceived as light. Virtual photons are a method of explanation for electromagnetic fields. The inverse square law of light, which describes how intensity over specified time decreases with distance is not related; All you are doing is taking words like "inverse square law" and thinkgs like "Light can be thought of as an entity with each line of force heavily populated with real photons" - a nonsensical sentence - and mashing them all together in a mumbo jumbo gibberish. Please stop.

You are being dismissive of a poster who is giving a reasonable and valid answer to the question.

[rvturietta]

The Michelson-Morley Experiment was an important one in that it established by scientific experimentation that an "ether" does not exist. Light is both a particle and a wave, it has properties of both and does not need a medium to move in. If it were purely a wave then it would need a medium to move in (like a sound wave moves through matter), but since it is also a particle it can move through space just like a baseball or other object could if it was moving in space. Now, I understand that you asked "can radio waves move through space" but remember, radio waves are identical to light waves (they are the same physical phenomenon) the only difference is that the frequency is much lower and the wavelength is much higher. Look up electromagnetic spectrum for more information. I hope this helps, email me if you want more information!

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by rmills1

You are being dismissive of a poster who is giving a reasonable and valid answer to the question.

No, I'm not. I'm being dismissive of ideas that don't make sense. The poster seems to jam several concepts together in a way that sounds good, but that is technically incorrect, and this poster has done this on more than one occasion. I can only surmise that this happens to exhibit some sort of nonexistent expertise. What he has posted doesn't make sense. It's literal gibberish.

[hazcompat]

http://www.mike-willis.com/Tutorial/PF1.htm
peace

[kbachler]

Originally Posted by hazcompat

http://www.mike-willis.com/Tutorial/PF4.htm

peace

Thank you. Nice url.