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Not sure this relates...
April 23, 2008
by Anonymous,
1 year 30 weeks ago
Comment: 29211
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But I've noticed in Photography, if you use slow exposures for cars you get light trails. Now I'm not gonna get into numbers, but what I have noticed is that you can set your flash at first or second curtain (beginning or end of the exposure). If you set it first curtain, the light trail extends in front of the car, if you set it second curtain, it extends in back of the car.
Now, from what I have noticed, if you use the same exposure speed and take two different shots like that, it seems like the light trail behind the car is always longer than the light trail from the front of the car.
I've thought about this for some time, and I can only think of one reason for this to be the case. The path of least resistance. Wherever light hasn't been yet, the light has to fight to "enlighten", but anywhere that light has already been is already primed to accept more light. Another analogy might be its kind of the difference between restarting a car in summer vs. restarting a car in winter. The engine doesn't have to heat up as much in summer as it does in winter, so most engines start up faster in the summer.
I bet the same applies to electricity in a wire. If a completely uncharged wire is used it takes a certain amount of time for the electricity to fill and travel through the whole wire. But I bet if you start a circuit up, turn it off, and immeadiately turn it back on, the time for the electricity to reach the other side is ever so slightly shorter.
MainFragger