Light Essay -- essays research papers

LIGHT: A FUNDAMENTAL FORCE IN OUR WORLD If asked what light is, one could say that it's one of the most basic elements of our world and our universe as we perceive it. It is through sight that we receive 90% of our information. It is through the use of telescopes aiding the naked eye that we are aware of the heavenly bodies around us. It is through light that the energy from the sun is transferred to us. The sun's energy supports the food chain; plants use it to turn water and CO2 into energy usable by other organisms. Solar energy was also used, indirectly, to produce all of the fossil fuels that we consume daily. Since light is such a basic part of our existence, we should have a basic understanding of what it is. What we call light, the intangible, powerful force that powers our world, is somewhat hard to define in real terms. It shares properties with both particles and waves. It follows the same rules as a wave does--it moves in a regular fashion, in a perfect sine wave at a certain frequency. It travels in a straight line, and is subject to refraction. All of these characteristics are found in waves of any type, from radio frequency waves, up to Gamma and X- rays. Light, however, also exhibits qualities characteristic of particles such as neutrons and protons. A photon, or quanta, is the "packet" of energy that is sent in a light wave. Like a particle, the photon is believed to have a fi... Light Essay -- essays research papers LIGHT: A FUNDAMENTAL FORCE IN OUR WORLD If asked what light is, one could say that it's one of the most basic elements of our world and our universe as we perceive it. It is through sight that we receive 90% of our information. It is through the use of telescopes aiding the naked eye that we are aware of the heavenly bodies around us. It is through light that the energy from the sun is transferred to us. The sun's energy supports the food chain; plants use it to turn water and CO2 into energy usable by other organisms. Solar energy was also used, indirectly, to produce all of the fossil fuels that we consume daily. Since light is such a basic part of our existence, we should have a basic understanding of what it is. What we call light, the intangible, powerful force that powers our world, is somewhat hard to define in real terms. It shares properties with both particles and waves. It follows the same rules as a wave does--it moves in a regular fashion, in a perfect sine wave at a certain frequency. It travels in a straight line, and is subject to refraction. All of these characteristics are found in waves of any type, from radio frequency waves, up to Gamma and X- rays. Light, however, also exhibits qualities characteristic of particles such as neutrons and protons. A photon, or quanta, is the "packet" of energy that is sent in a light wave. Like a particle, the photon is believed to have a fi...