Is light matter?

Answer 1

When light moves as light, it is light. When light energy (wave of electromagnetic energy) is formed into an electron, it, then, becomes mass.

Answer 2

This is a good question. In order to answer it we need to establish some definitions first. The definition of matter is usually taken to be: anything that has mass and occupies space or has volume. The definition of light is those wavelengths of electromagnetic energy that can stimulate the retina of the eye. Light is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.This link will show you the elactromacnetic spectrum and its wavelengths.The Electromagnetic Spectrum The above definitions are fine but what do they mean. Mass is a quantity that all matter posseses. When that mass is in the presence of a gravitational field the mass will have weight. Now that the definitions are there let's see if we can put them together to answer your question. If light has mass and has a volume then it is matter,if neither are true then light is not matter. We have been experimenting with light for a long time. We have not been able to detect any mass associated with light. Light does react to gravity but we have found no evidence yet that it has mass. So it fails in the first test. Does light take up space? We have no evidence that I am aware of that light takes up space. Light can an will interact with matter in various ways.When the sun shines on your skin it feels warm. We use micro waves to cook food. You can think up other examples yourself. Light and mass are related. According to Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2. this tells us that mass can be converted into energy. The electromagnetic spectrum is a result of this mass to energy conversion going on in the stars.This is how our sun produces its energy. So, is light matter? To put it in more simple terms, light is energy and matter is made up of atoms.

Answer 3

Matter can be light but light isn't matter, but why does it matter?

Light is massless (yes Grendle it does have momentum, but no it does not have mass) so it is generally not considered to be matter. Light can produce matter though. Either way it's not really an important distinction. It acts like a wave and like a particle but then all particles act like waves and vice versa.

edit: And no lester it doesn't have to take up space (at least in the classical sense of space, everything takes up space in the quatum sense), subatomic matter for one doesn't (and it is definitely not composed of atoms). Anomoly a laser works due to the wave nature, not the particle nature of light (and Einstein isn't really relevant). (Sorry there's a lot of opinions that need shooting down, I really should keep mine to myself though)

Answer 4

No, light is energy. If light was matter, then it wouldn't be moving at the speed of light. Light has all it's mass turned into energy, so since it has no mass, it's not matter.

Answer 5

Light is both matter and a wave. The photon itself behaves as a particle, reacting to the pull of gravity like all other masses. The Wave portion of light makes it (photons) oscellate just like all electro-magnetic radiation.

Answer 6

Light has mass (remember that funny light-bulb shaped device with the black and white vains that would spin in the light?) and can exert pressure.
Light is composed of particles called photons. Their exact nature is still being debated.
Short answer: Yes, light is matter.
Cheers.

Answer 7

No, light is not matter and it has no mass.
But it can behave as a particle and it does carry momentum.
Don't be fooled by the momentum thing, it is not regular momentum, which is mass times velocity. A photon's momentum is Plank's constant divided by it's wavelength.

Answer 8

Everything that has mass and occupies space is matter.
As einstein proved that light has properties of WAVE and PARTICLE, this property of light is called WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY. Every particle has mass and occupies space so it is obvious that Light is matter.

Answer 9

light has some characteristics of matter like it is attracted to the gravitational pull in black holes and some characteristics of waves

Answer 10

Einstein won his nobel prize on the study of light.

Light does have properties of matter, which is the theory behind the laser beam.