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Transverse wave
- Mathematics and experiments show that light is a transverse wave – the electric and magnetic field vectors point in directions that are perpendicular to the direction of motion of the light wave (and as it turns out, they also rare always perpendicular to each other).
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.
May 24, 2024 · 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.
Jan 16, 2013 · In an approximate way, light is both a particle and a wave. But in an exact representation, light is neither a particle nor a wave, but is something more complex. As a metaphor, consider a cylindrical can of beans. If you hold the can sideways, force a friend to only look at its shadow, and ask him what shape the object has, he will respond ...
The light particle conceived by Einstein is called a photon. The main point of his light quantum theory is the idea that light's energy is related to its oscillation frequency (known as frequency in the case of radio waves). Oscillation frequency is equal to the speed of light divided by its wavelength.
If light is a particle, then why does it refract when travelling from one medium to another? And if light is a wave, then why does it dislodge electrons ? But all behavior of light can be explained by combining the two models: light behaves like particles and light behaves like waves.
Dec 28, 2020 · In plain terms, electromagnetic waves are simply known as light, though the term light is sometimes used to specify visible light (that which can be detected by the eye), and other times is used more generally to refer to all forms of electromagnetic radiation.
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In Lesson 1, we will investigate the variety of behaviors, properties and characteristics of light that seem to support the wave model of light. On this page, we will focus on three specific behaviors - reflection, refraction and diffraction.
