How do you think light can be a wave and a particle at the same time?

Question

I have a basic idea about this but I want to see other people's take on it. It would also be helpful if you could explain how you thing photons are created.

Answer 1

Light is a particle. Wave is its function.

Answer 2

I think that it probably doesn't, we just lack the language to describe what is actually is. We don't yet have a model that fully describes what it is, but we do have some excellent theories that have given us many advances in our understanding of the world, and some pretty sweet technology :-)
Saying that light IS a wave and IS a particle is a tad narrow minded; I'm a physicist, and I think that we can't possibly have all the answers; just really good models that should always be regarded as just that. The experiments that prove both simply highlight to me that our description is either flawed, or very naive.

Photons are created by the altering of an electron orbit around the nucleus. Energy is given up by them as photons which have a frequency that depends on the "size" of the change in energy. Or if you combine a positron and en electron, the resulting energy release due to the annihilation of the two particles creates two photons. Though when you think about it thats pretty much the same as the first case :-)

Answer 3

there have been somany experiments already proved the dual nature of light, like photoelectric effect, blackbody radiation etc.
If you have fully understood these concepts then no confusion. I fully believe that light can be a wave and particle at the same time.
SOmetimes its particle behaviour is prominent and some times wave nature is more dominating. it is similar to mass energy relationship E=mc^2, so when a ball of mass m moves with a speed of light it behaves as if a wave with energy E is transmitting
So since light travels with its own speed c, it is percieved as a em wave however when it strikes with a metal it transfers its energy to the electrons present in the metal orbits. this is a fixed energy amount equal to integer multiple of a fixed quantity each equivalent to a to a particle nomenclatured as photon, actually the smallest energy packet that is transferred to the elctron.
so photons are neither created nor destroyed as per conservation of energy, but you can feel their presence through some experiments like i mentioned earlier.

Answer 4

light can be either at the same time. it just depend on the way u look at it.. photon created from many source one of the source is gamma ray . or u wil get it from the deexcited of the atom , from stimulated emision, spontanoues emmion in laser pronciple and many more. the atom or particles that deexcite from high energy level to lower energy level wol emit photon.photon can be wave or particles it depend on the way u treated it. we can assume that light as a particles first and it just the continuous ray and its look like a wave.

Answer 5

Nobody's OPINION on this site is of any consequence. The fact of the matter is that light IS a wave and it IS a particle stream. There is no doubt whatsoever in the physics community on this matter; it's been settled for over a century.

Answer 6

it is both at the same time, photons can be created wen a charged partical is accelerated

Answer 7

start search from here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon