Suppose a bunch of insane basketball players all get together and decide to play a game. But crazy old Smitty forgot to bring the basketball, so they just decide to pretend that there is a ball. They pretend to dribble, pass, and shoot the ball as if it were really there. Someone watching the game might postulate the existance of a ball to explain the motions of the players and to describe the rules of the basketball game. Is light like the imaginary basketball? Is it just something we make up to describe the phenomena that we observe in nature? Is that why we can say that light sometimes behaves like a wave and sometimes like a particle? Any thoughts about this?
2006-12-18 17:25:38 · 7 answers · asked by Link 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
This is a semantic debate caused by the subtleties of scientific nomenclature.
We observe a real thing. We know it is there, and we call it light.
What we don't know about light is a good way to describe how it behaves. We have ideas about waves and particles, and have mathematical descriptions of them, so we use these as models. When our models have inconsistancies, it is because our models are not perfect descriptions, not because the model is real and the physical entity is not.
To recap: light is what we call the real thing. We don't really know a lot about the real thing, but we have agreed on the name. Light is, by definition, real.
2006-12-18 21:24:28 · answer #1 · answered by Biznachos 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, light is a real thing. In fact, light is a kind of electromagnetic wave. Light has all the criterias as a electromagnetic wave just like radiowaves, gamma rays, x- rays and others.
Light has the same speed as other electromagnetic waves too which is 3x10^8 m/s.
2006-12-19 03:21:51 · answer #2 · answered by Juni Mccoy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it just something we make up to describe the phenomena that we observe in nature?
For the most part, Light is what makes it possible for us to observe things PERIOD
2006-12-19 01:50:59 · answer #3 · answered by Need Flow 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In darkness you can't see anything.
When there is a light source you can see.
The presence of light is one of the conditions to be able to see.
So light is real whatever real means philosophically.
Th
2006-12-19 02:32:18 · answer #4 · answered by Thermo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Recent physics says that Light is composed from vey tiny articles known as "Photons".
So, LIGHT is REAL.
2006-12-19 05:00:27 · answer #5 · answered by aloreefy 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Light is very real, Didn't your Mama ever tell U not to look at the sun ??
2006-12-19 01:35:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
its real alright, just that there is no classification for it
as it shows characteristics of both waves and particles
2006-12-19 02:56:53 · answer #7 · answered by king p 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋