3 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science
The rod only moves because each molecule is bumping into the next one down the line. The individual molecules cannot move faster than the speed of light.
You could imagine a compression wave traveling down the length of the rod at the speed of light as each molecule bumps into the next one.
Comment by mfb- at 27/07/2023 at 00:16 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The wave is actually just moving at the speed of sound. A few kilometers per second for very rigid materials.