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2006-07-09 13:14:33 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes, gamma rays are light, or electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, they are light at the high energy end of the spectrum, between X-rays and cosmic rays, well beyond the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. If you're studying radiation physics, you might be thinking of alpha particles, which ARE helium nuclei zinging around at high speed. (The other common types are beta particles, which are either electrons or positrons, and neutron radiation, which are... well, neutrons, one of the two types of particles in the nuclei of atoms)
2006-07-09 13:43:30 · answer #1 · answered by theyuks 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, gamma rays are not light, but both are forms of electromagnetic radiation. Light is electromagnetic radiation which has a frequency that is visible to the human eye, but gamma rays are invisible because their frequency falls outside this range. Atomic nuclei are found in particle radiation, not electromagnetic radiation.
EDIT: Seems I was wrong... in physics, "light" means any electromagnetic radiation that travels at the speed of light, whether it's visible or not. So gamma rays would be light.
2006-07-09 13:33:05 · answer #2 · answered by zmm 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
ALL forms of electromagnetic radiation are considered to be light in physics. Technically each 'particle' of light is called a photon.
This includes the entire visible spectrum, infrared, ultra violet, radio waves, microwaves, x-rays and gamma rays.
Infrared, visible light, ultra violet and x-rays are generally produced by the outer electrons in an atom jumping between higher and lower 'orbits' in a atom. The light released is equivalent to the difference in energy between the orbits the electron shifts between.
Gamma rays usually derive from the nucleus of an unstable atom or an atom heated to an extreme level such as by temperatures found inside a star.
An 'alpha particle' is an atomic nucleus (of Helium) consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
A 'beta particle' is just another name for the common electron.
2006-07-09 15:41:20 · answer #3 · answered by Jay T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, gamma rays are light, or electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, they are light at the high energy end of the spectrum, between X-rays and cosmic rays, well beyond the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. If you're studying radiation physics, you might be thinking of alpha particles, which ARE helium nuclei zinging around at high speed. (The other common types are beta particles, which are either electrons or positrons, and neutron radiation, which are... well, neutrons, one of the two types of particles in the nuclei of atoms)
2006-07-09 13:55:13 · answer #4 · answered by godraiden2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Light" is an electromagnetic (EM) wave: oscillations of electric and magnetic fields that travel at "the speed of light". The number of times the fields oscillate each second is called the frequency, and the speed divided by the frequency is the wavelength. The frequency times a constant known as Planck's constant gives the energy of a single photon of the light.
EM waves of different frequencies (or different wavelengths or different energies--same difference) are grouped loosely into seven categories. From lowest frequency to highest, these categories are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared light (IR), visible light, ultraviolet light (UV), x-rays, and gamma rays. So gamma rays are EM or light waves of very high frequency, very high energy, and very short wavelenth.
Some radioactive nuclei emit gamma rays when they need to get rid of excess energy, which may be why you connected nuclei to gamma rays.
Extra information: in the visible range of EM waves, different frequencies are detected as colors. From lowest to highest energy we can see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (ROY G BIV). This is why red lights are used in dark rooms--red light has the lowest energy of the visible waves and has the least impact on photographic film.
2006-07-09 15:50:13 · answer #5 · answered by not_2_worried 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gamma rays are photons traveling at a higher intensity and frequency than all of the other types. ie: microwaves, infrared, x-rays, ultraviolet and radio waves. This is what makes up the electromagnetic spectrum and Gamma rays are those that are classified with the highest intensities in frequencies among all those listed.
In science, incl. physics light is not called light. Rather it is called either photon(s), or photo energy.
2006-07-09 13:18:26 · answer #6 · answered by Phillip R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, but that light is not your friend
2006-07-09 19:23:17 · answer #7 · answered by knightmarecometh 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋