Where do they come from? Are photons "matter"? Do they have any mass? Is light made of photons? Can anything travel faster than the speed of light? sorry for all the questions but im just really curious!!! can someone please give me some answers in non-physics langauge (im not very good at physics) thank you!! :)
2007-07-02 06:35:21 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Photons are massless particles of light. In relativity nothing can travel faster than light however quantum physics has some pretty compeling arguements to the contrary. The best book to read for the laymen cosmologist/astrophysysist is Cosmos by Carl Sagan.
2007-07-02 06:40:12 · answer #1 · answered by katz149 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You have.a good thinking question .Something our teachers in school ,barely question.
Photons are a mathemathical construct to describe the energy of a ray light falling on a surface for one second.
In General it was Einstein that considered one light particle to be a micromass.This concept of light was taken from Isaac Newton theory on light which he called corpuscule theory of light.
Since the particle is a mass that is constant and it moves continuously.The product of its mass and its velocity is called momentum.
The motional Energy of the particle of light is always the same as its Structural Energy. Its the only mass in the Universe that can move without mass changes ,volume or radius of its structure. Every other mass structures in the Universe either gains or lose mass except the micromass of light.
There is an answer about what the particles of light are. HOwever Newton Himself refused to give any further explanation. And scientists in main- stream physics are still in Limbo about this subject.
Since This corpuscule particle is a very minutely small micromass it travels faster than any other mass Structures.
This is the explanation that I Understand the best about the nature of light. That it is the smallest mass structure of the Universe that moves very fast in a train in the form of a light flux and follows the rules as if it was a wave.
It is considered the premorial mass of the Universe.
2007-07-02 06:56:32 · answer #2 · answered by goring 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Photons are a part of an atom.A quantum of visible light or other form of electromagnetic radiation demonstrating both particle and wave properties. A photon has neither mass nor electric charge but possesses energy and momentum.
2007-07-02 06:49:57 · answer #3 · answered by ~~~ANGEL~~~ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Photons, plural, or Photon in the singular was a game played in the 80's similar to Laser Tag. Like it's more famous counterpart, the game kit came standard with a gun, helmet and chest sensor.
There was also a series that spawned during the 80's with 18 episodes, but was however cancelled in it's first season.
2007-07-02 06:45:15 · answer #4 · answered by Ryan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Photons are pretty much particles of energy. They are not matter and have zero mass. Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.
2007-07-02 06:41:33 · answer #5 · answered by David 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Photons are the very very very teeny tiny parts that make up light. They do have mass since gravity can act upon them as shown by the evidence of black holes. Black holes are tears in space created by the collapse of a dying star. Gravity in the core of a black hole is the only thing theoretically that can travel faster than light because even light can't escape the intense force of this central core gravity. A cousin of the photon gravitons are the very very very teeny tiny parts of gravity.
2007-07-02 07:00:07 · answer #6 · answered by Emissary 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Photons are quanta (indivisible bits) of light.
"Matter" isn't a well-defined term, so you can't answer that question precisely, but in the usual usage, no, photons aren't matter, because...
They have no rest mass.
Yes, light is made of photons.
The laws of relativity allow for particles (tachyons) with imaginary mass that travel faster than the speed of light, but we do not think they actually exist.
2007-07-02 06:37:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
PHOTONS are light waves,they don't have any mass as my professor at medical physics had told me. Traveling faster than the speed of light will make you "GOD". anyways.. as what they are writing, if photons are particles, then it must have a mass and since it will have a mass, then it is matter. SO i guess it is improper to say that it is a particle or "massless particle"..SHyGIRL.. i guess you're really shy at all..hehehhe *^_^*
2007-07-02 06:42:00 · answer #8 · answered by reyut3 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they are like small particles of light. they do have mass. nothing is faster than the speed of light as far as i know
2007-07-02 06:39:51 · answer #9 · answered by ThisGuy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
photons are tons of photos no?
2007-07-02 06:38:55 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋