How can light have the propoties of both a wave (energy) and a particle (mass)?

Answer 1

To add to debraj's answer, it may help to realise that light has the property of a particle when we force it to stop moving but the property of a wave when it is moving.

It isn't entirely accurate, but one way to visualise that is to imagine light as wave moving across a still pond. The wave itself has no mass, it is simply a disturbance in the medium (water). But when a wave strikes a massive object it can impart its momentum to that object and thus effectively increase the object’s mass.

Light is also basically a disturbance in a medium, in this case the medium is space-time. While it is moving a photon has no mass of its own (since it only exists as a disturbance). Its existence and movement can only be known by reference to the base energy state of that particular point in space and the change that the passing photon produces. We know the photon exists because it disturbs the base state of a point in space as it passes through that point.

But when the disturbance strikes a massive object it disturbs that object. That disturbance changes the energy state of the massive object, and since any increase in energy also causes an increase ein mass the struck object becomes more massive.

So light behaves as though it has mass when we force it to interact with massive objects because mass and energy are interrelated. A photon has virtual mass under those circumstances because it has energy. But the photon itself never truly had mass, it only gained massive properties at the point that it ceased to exist as photon, ie after it collided with a massive object.

(Caveat: that explanation is almost entirely untrue. But all verbal descriptions of quantum and relativistic effects are almost entirely untrue. However it is a very good lie and for the point you are at. Once you understand that lie you can then move onto the next stage, which really does demand mathematical descriptions.)

Answer 2

The diffraction, reflection, refraction and interference and polarization of light is best explained by wave property. For these quantization of energy is not needed.

When interacting with matter they are best explained by particle nature. Photo eclectic emission is explained by this.

Similarly particles also do have dual nature.

The answer to your question is by answering the question why therecannot be dual nature for energy and matter. Understanding nature is not easy. We are familiar with macroscopic matter. Understanding the behavior of microscopic particles is entirely different from our macroscopic world. To see that world we must change our vision.

When experiment and theory has established that there in nature dual properties are for matter and energy.

If a new phenomenon is found and if it cannot be explained by the present theory and it can be explained by a new property of matter and energy, we will be compelled to the triple nature of matter and energy.

Once we thought that length and time do not depend upon the speed of the object.

But we came to know that it is wrong. Accordingly we have changed our concepts.

But in all these we are careful that the laws of physics remains the same for ever.

Answer 3

The properties of light you are talking about are the ones seen experimentally. Depending on the type af apparatus used, light may show either of the two properties, but NOT both at once.

The question is not "how?," but it does, and we explain theoretically the experimental results. What we can say is that given a certain experimental setup, (this technical term includes day-to-day things like spectacles, electronic detectors of light, or say clothes hanging in a clothesline to dry showing diffraction patterns against light) which characteristics of light will reveal itself.
When the length-scale of the slits/medium are comparable to the wavelength, light will show characteristics of a wave.

Otherwise untill we observe the effects of light interacting with surroundings, we donot speak of the characteristics of light.

Answer 4

yeah that "fabric of the universe" became referred to as the ether and it became the only concern Einstein ever admitted to being incorrect approximately. mild of course is its very own stress-carrying particle and would not require any medium. The representation you provided is that of a compressional wave, which purposes in a diverse way than the wave-like habit of light. The duality of light has been shown persistently back, it particularly is mindless to objective to debunk it. in case you like information that photons are debris, you basically would desire to look at photoelectric cells, bioluminescence, or a CRT visual show unit, none of which could be defined with a wave-basically definition of light.

Answer 5

It can and it does. In fact, ALL particles have wave-like characteristics as well, just on a smaller degree.

The bigger the particle, the less the wave-like characteristics show up.

But photons are SOOOO small, that their waves are very easily noticable.

So its not weird that it has both properties, its weird that we don't see ours as well.

:-)

-Nick

Answer 6

it's called QM
don't worry - nobody gets it
BTW: a photon does not have mass, but instead a quantized amount of energy...
Young's two-slit experiment: how does one photon go through both slits? the hell?
I think it only ever makes sense when you view the system as a whole

Answer 7

The atoms of which you are made have some wave "propoties." The protons and electrons of which you are made have some wave properties. You have some wave properties.

Answer 8

because light has electrons to act as particles and as well as photons to act as waves.

Answer 9

Because GOD is super freakin cool and was getting hyphy when he decided to let there be light.

Answer 10

they are equivalent everything is like that even you