Chapter 335 -323 Lynn: To Measure the Speed of Light, I Only Need a Tiny Gear!
Glenn’s light beam measurement experiment, though ultimately a failure, pushed the curiosity of the wizards about the speed of light to another climax.
Because the results of the experiment were too shocking, the terrifying power of condensing strong light into beams also made every wizard talk about it with great relish.
It could be predicted that optics would become a direction many wizards would specialize in the future.
However, regarding the measurement of the speed of light, the wizards were divided into two camps. Some insisted that the speed of light was infinite; after all, they could see the distant Sun and the moon in an instant.
Measuring the speed of light was simply absurd!
Another group believed that the speed of light was finite because everything has its limits, and the “light element” was no exception. However, they could not think of how to continue the experiment.
...
To light, even a distance of one hundred kilometers was instant. If it had a speed, it had to be at least ten thousand kilometers per second to outpace everyone’s reaction, knowing that the circumference of the Eternal Star under their feet was only over forty thousand kilometers!
“Do we need to conduct experiments at the ends of the planet?” Sanchez had this idea come to mind; the venue would be large enough, but then how would they get there?
“Idiot, this planet is round, and light travels in a straight line. It would either be blocked or go off into the universe and not reach the other side,” Rafael scoffed and said.
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Sanchez asked, annoyed.
Rafael opened his mouth and then helplessly shook his head. “How would I know?”
This star of magic had too many ideas. Before last year’s magic conference, who could have imagined that simply by erecting an icicle on the sea surface and measuring the length of its shadow, one could calculate the entire planet’s circumference and volume…
Therefore, Rafael also couldn’t guess what new clever ideas the other party might come up with this time…
Curiosity soared high, but this session of the Magic Conference still had to continue. Over the course of three days, a total of three recipients of the Morning Star Medal appeared.
They were Glenn, who created the focus magic, Fula, who represented Anthony to explain the theory of electromagnetism, and…
Yoland, who made a rudimentary microscope… This male wizard of the Prophecy School, after being rendered speechless by Lynn’s rebuttal at last year’s conference, was determined to learn from the pain and devoted himself wholeheartedly to research.
While using the astronomical telescope to observe distant celestial bodies, Yoland suddenly had the idea to make some modifications to it and successfully created a microscope.
Although the two had been at odds in the conference a year ago, Lynn did not take that small conflict to heart; academic disputes were normal, no matter how intense, the other party did not intentionally use underhanded tactics to disgust him, so Lynn was quite generous in nominating Yoland for the Morning Star Medal.
This magnanimity made Yoland feel ashamed.
He was prepared to face targeting this time and even wrote a speech of thousands of words in advance to explain the importance of this research, but unexpectedly, it was not needed at all, as Lynn was the first judge to propose awarding him the Morning Star Medal.
Over these few days of collaboration, Rafael kept beating around the bush, hoping Lynn would reveal some details, but was continually dodged by the latter… He could only mutter to himself, wondering if Sanchez’s guess was right, that this star of magic also didn’t have full confidence in the experiment, hence the continued secrecy.
Lynn did not pay attention to the various rumors raging through Wizard Land and, after returning to the Iyeta School’s rest room, called Ailoke and the others over to ask about their preparation.
“Dean Lynn, you asked us to make the gears and they are all done now!” Ailoke and Pearce said wearily.
They had spent three days crafting ten gears of the same size, ranging from five hundred to twelve hundred teeth, and as per the dean’s instructions, they had to ensure precision. The distance between each tooth gap had to be exactly equal, with a precision of one-thousandth of a centimeter.
Only a formal Wizard could achieve such refined craftsmanship, which was precisely why Lynn had brought them along—after all, someone had to do the work!
Meanwhile, Lydia and Johnny were responsible for making the semi-lenses and reflective mirrors, and they too had completed their tasks.
“Very well, it looks like we can start the experiment tonight!” Lynn checked the various experimental supplies and nodded in satisfaction.
Ailoke and the others were immensely curious about why the dean had asked them to make so many gears.
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“Could it be that we are using these things to measure the speed of light?” Lydia raised her hand and asked.
“Yes, the gears will suffice!” Lynn nodded.
…
At night, in the city of Greenrill, Wizards who had received the message to come watch the experiment crowded the entire square.
The reputation of the Magic Star, coupled with the light speed measurement experiment, was something no one wanted to miss.
“Master Lynn, we have been waiting for several days, you aren’t planning to keep us in suspense now, are you?” Rafael said somewhat helplessly; he had been pondering over what methods to use for the experiment, but despite racking his brains, he hadn’t come up with anything.
“My method is very simple, and everything we need is right here!” Lynn said with a smile.
Rafael and the others curiously looked towards the experimental setup in front of Lynn. The most conspicuous thing was the strangely-shaped alchemical apparatus. After Lynn’s explanation, they understood that this device was used to emit light beams, working on a principle similar to Glenn’s concentrating magic.
And on the city wall of the east district, a reflective mirror was placed, exactly four kilometers away from this square…
“Isn’t this the same reflective mirror light speed measurement that Glenn did a few days ago?”
Nancy muttered softly, and the Wizards present nodded in agreement,
Glenn had used a hundred mirrors, creating a range of one hundred kilometers, yet had still ended in failure. Lynn’s setup, although it spanned most of Greenrill City, covered only eight kilometers when considering the round trip distance, less than a tenth of Glenn’s attempt.
Measuring the speed of light seemed like a wild goose chase!
“So, we need to add this!” Lynn pointed towards the item Ailoke was holding. “This is the most critical part of this experiment!”
“Gears?” Rafael recognized them at a glance; such items were not unfamiliar to an Alchemist, as they had been included in the steam engines previously developed by the Alchemists’ Guild.
What did this have to do with measuring the speed of light?