How can light travel through a vacuum when there were no particles in the vacuum on which it could transmit its charge?
2007-01-07 02:21:42 · 8 answers · asked by ~Lover of Women~ 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Well light actually has no charge at all. It consists only of electric and magnetic fields, each endlessly recreating the other as the pair zip off through empty space at the speed of light.The fact that light waves can travel in vacuum, and don't need any material to carry them, was disturbing to the physicists who first studied light in detail. They expected to find a fluid-like aether, a substance that was the carrier of electromagnetic waves. Instead, they found that those waves travel through truly empty space. One thing led to another, and soon Einstein proposed that the speed of light was profoundly special and that space and time were interrelated by way of that speed of light.
2007-01-07 02:31:25 · answer #1 · answered by GMILF in training 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Light is a particle. Like the molecules of water form wave patterns on the pond, light does something similar. Light and all electro-magnetic particles form waves of EM (including light) particles. Interestingly, light actually consists of two kinds of wave: particle and transverse. Such is the duality nature of light. [See source.]
The particle waves are existant because each photon has its frequency. And the frequency level of a photon determines the energy of that photon. The higher the frequency, the higher is the energy compacted in that photon.
In the visible light spectrum, the higher the energy (photon frequency), the bluer the light appears...starting with a deep red, until it disappears from view at the extreme violet color, which is the highest visible energy.
The particles also travel in a transverse wave, like the molecules of water traveling along with the crest of each wave in the pond. It is the velocity of these photons traveling along the crest of the waves (and elsewhere in the wave, but we typically measure from crest to crest) that travel at the speed of light (c).
The speed at which the crest of a wave travels is found by v = d/t; where d = the crest to crest distance of one wave length and t = the time it took for the crest to travel that one wave length. Experimentally we found that c = 186,000 mi/sec or 300,000 km/sec (about) in a vacuum. That is, no matter what the frequency of the particles (photons), they all speed along at the same velocity (c). What c equals depends on the medium (e.g., vacuum, glass) the photons are traveling through.
The intensity (brightness) of light depends on the number of photons striking the eyeball in a given time frame. And as the number of photons emitted from a source increases, the amplitude of the transverse wave increases to accomodate the additional photons. No matter what its amplitude, c = d/t = constant speed of light still holds.
To the point of your question: light can travel through a vacuum because light (and the other EM particles) provides its own particles to form the transverse waves through a vacuum.
2007-01-07 04:17:59 · answer #2 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It travels at the speed of light in a vacuum. I don't understand the how light can part. It might be able to even travel faster than the speed of light under those conditions. Keep in mind that light itself has no charge at all, so it doesn;t have transmit anything. It travels through nothing.
2007-01-07 02:30:51 · answer #3 · answered by John R 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Light waves are electromagnetic waves that consist of photon whic come from the source until the transmittance ends therefore the wave is made up of energetic photons that travel without stopping in space as there is no external force to act against the wave unless it gets absorbed or bounce off something.
Therefore electromagnetic waves (and any other type) are a way to transfer different types of energy by conduction convection and mos importantly radiation.
2007-01-07 03:17:14 · answer #4 · answered by Olly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Light travels as a wave using alternating electric and magnetic fields. The changing electric field drives the magnetic field and vice versa. Since it does not travel as a particle, it does not need a medium in which to travel. Initially it was thought that a medium was needed, and the proposed ether medium was suggested. This was refuted by the michelson-morley interferometer experiment. Now light has a wave-particle duality. It travels as a wave and has properties of a wave, yet can behave as a particle under certain conditions.
2007-01-07 02:48:40 · answer #5 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Damn good question, one that baffled physicists for many years.
1) Light does not carry charge
2) Light is now thought of both as a wave AND a particle
It is the particulate aspect of light, the photon, that can cross a vacuum. What is wierd is that it exihibits wave like properties while doing so. If not radio and TV woulod not work
2007-01-07 04:07:25 · answer #6 · answered by walter_b_marvin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Light travels through waves called transverse waves, which have there own matter called "photons". So they can travel in vaccum.
2007-01-07 02:28:44 · answer #7 · answered by SkkARd 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no it cant
2007-01-07 02:27:21 · answer #8 · answered by Vikki[Rawhr] 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋