Low-cost experiment to measure the speed of light

TL;DR

This paper presents an affordable, straightforward experimental method for undergraduate students, especially in developing countries, to measure the speed of light using readily available instruments and simple components.

Contribution

It introduces a low-cost, easy-to-implement experimental setup for measuring the speed of light, suitable for educational purposes in resource-limited settings.

Findings

Successful measurement of the speed of light using inexpensive equipment

Method is accessible for undergraduate laboratories in developing countries

Enables hands-on verification of the finite speed of light

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate a low-cost method to measure the speed of light. It uses instruments which are readily available in any undergraduate laboratory in a developing country and some components which are inexpensive. The method is direct as it measures the time of flight of the LASER beam and easy to implement. It will allow students to verify the finite value of the speed of light first hand. It can be part of the undergraduate syllabus as a regular experiment or a demonstration experiment.