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2006-08-15 05:34:23 · 12 answers · asked by dan m 1 in Science & Mathematics Physics

12 answers

Light is a particle called the photon, which is a very special type of particle, i.e. it is "massless". All massless particles travels at the fastest speed possible in vacuum (which is the speed of light). Any particles with mass can never travel at the speed of light, only very close to it, and how fast they travel depends on how much energy they have. Photons however can have different amount of energies (which is determined by its frequency), but all frequencies of light still travels at the same speed.

There isn't "something" that propels a photon or light, because it is massless (you can think of massless particle also as a form of energy, which in this case it is the electromagnetic energy or wave). If we are talking about an electron, which does have mass, then it does require us to propel the electron into motion. For example, we might use an electric field to cause the electron to move in a certain direction. And by increasing the field intensity, we will impart greater amount of energy to the electron and thus making it move faster.

2006-08-15 06:22:34 · answer #1 · answered by PhysicsDude 7 · 0 0

James Clerk Maxwell found equations that demonstrate how a changing electric field creates a changing magnetic field and vice versa. From this he was able to show that an electromagnetic wave could propagate through space and to calculate its speed. He didn't know it at the time but he had found the equations that describe light.

So basically, light is self-propelled. The magnetic field pushes the electric field and the electric field pushes the magnetic field, and the properties of space set the speed limit.

2006-08-15 05:56:02 · answer #2 · answered by injanier 7 · 1 0

Light is photon.

Photon is emitted when electron moves from an higher orbit to a lower orbit. The photon moves in the opposite direction of the electron hence this propels the photon (hence light).

2006-08-15 05:41:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

All photons (particles of light) are created by any accelerating charge. The acceleration (or deceleration) will mean the charge (usually electrons) lose energy. The energy is transferred to a newly created photon, and it immediately moves at the speed of light.

2006-08-15 05:59:02 · answer #4 · answered by dennis_d_wurm 4 · 0 0

Light is two particles orbiting each other in a high energy orbit complete with self acceleration. It rolls through matter, At a point one particle is motionless while the other is moving at twice the speed of light.

2006-08-15 06:23:22 · answer #5 · answered by Fredrick Carley 2 · 0 0

Light, or any form of electromagnetic energy, has no mass (other than its energy of momentum) and thus requires no means of propulsion. You can think of the photon as a level of energy. Adding or removing energy from a photon will not speed it up nor slow it down, it will simply change its wavelength.

2006-08-15 06:04:06 · answer #6 · answered by stellarfirefly 3 · 0 0

Energy

2006-08-15 05:39:49 · answer #7 · answered by Amphibolite 7 · 0 0

Energy

2006-08-15 05:38:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

A giant invisble propeller.

2006-08-15 05:39:01 · answer #9 · answered by Krzysztof_98 2 · 0 0

properly to place it properly , easy isn't remember thoroughly, it has a twin nature, in part wave and in part particle. the genuine nature of light isn't yet understood. What we are able to declare on the best is that easy interacts with different debris as itself being a particle { as in photoelectric result }, jointly as between any 2 factors of its shuttle ling, it acts as a danger wave,{ as in unmarried photon interference test }. it relatively is the valuables of the easy WAVE as ruled with the aid of Maxwell's constants, being an electromagnetic wave. c = sqrt { a million/ u e } , the place c = velo. of light, u = magnetic permeability, e = electric powered permittivity, fixing this, we get c = 3 * 1o^8, so we would desire to continuously no longer view the easy wave as being of particle nature and that somebody will would desire to grant capability to propel it, somewhat it relatively is going to likely be recognized as an electromagnetic wave with the value being its intrisi components.

2016-10-02 02:59:05 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

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