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Light does not carry any charge itself, so it does not attract or repel charged particles like electrons. Instead light is an oscillating electric and magnetic field. If you take an electron and put it in a static electric field (e.g. around a Van de Graaff Generator) then the electron feels a force due to the field and will move.
Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. [1] Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 terahertz.
- Introduction
- Sources
- Speed
- Other Characteristics
Light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave that can be seen by the typical human. The wave nature of light was first illustrated through experiments on diffraction and interference. Like all electromagnetic waves, light can travel through a vacuum. The transverse nature of light can be demonstrated through polarization. 1. In 1678, Christiaan Huyg...
Light is produced by one of two methods… 1. Incandescenceis the emission of light from "hot" matter (T ≳ 800 K). 2. Luminescence is the emission of light when excited electrons fall to lower energy levels (in matter that may or may not be "hot").
Just notes so far. The speed of light in a vacuum is represented by the letter c from the Latin celeritas— swiftness. Measurements of the speed of light. Ole Rømer (1644–1710) Denmark. "Démonstration touchant le mouvement de la lumière trouvé par M. Roemer de l'Académie des Sciences." Journal des Scavans. 7 December 1676. Rømer's idea was to use th...
The amplitude of a light wave is related to its intensity. 1. Intensityis the absolute measure of a light wave's power density. 2. Brightnessis the relative intensity as perceived by the average human eye. The frequency of a light wave is related to its color. 1. Coloris such a complex topic that it has its own section in this book. 2. Monochromati...
Thomas Young recognized that if light behaved like a wave, it would be possible to create patterns of constructive and destructive interference using light. In 1801 he devised an experiment that would force two beams of light to travel different distances before interfering with each other when they reached a screen.
Nov 14, 2024 · In its simplest form, quantum theory describes light as consisting of discrete packets of energy, called photons. However, neither a classical wave model nor a classical particle model correctly describes light; light has a dual nature that is revealed only in quantum mechanics.
Dec 28, 2020 · In plain terms, electromagnetic waves are simply what we know as light. Unlike most waves, however, electromagnetic waves do not require a medium through which to propagate. Photons or electromagnetic radiation exhibit what is called particle-wave duality.
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We know that light is a wave based on how it behaves – it exhibits the same properties of other waves we have examined – it interferes with itself, it follows an inverse-square law for intensity (brightness), and so on.
