Does anyone know? Thanks
2007-09-15 22:52:01 · 11 answers · asked by Kit 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Because that's what it is.
Maxwell worked out in the 1800s how a changing magnetic field induces an electric field and a changing electric field induces a magnetic field. If you work out the consequences of the equations, it turns out that any disturbances in the electric or magnetic fields create these ripples (electric fields changing to induce changing magnetic fields that induce changing e-fields ...ad nauseum) that propagate out from the source at the speed of light. These ripples (when they are of a frequency/energy that our eyes are tuned to see) are what we call light.
You can also view light as a bunch of discrete quanta called photons, but the wave equation which governs their propagation just happens to be identical to maxwell's equation.
2007-09-15 22:57:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The term light was originally used to describe visible light. This was before the electromagnetic force was even dreamed of. It is now known that visible light is just a region of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be perceived by the human eye. The term light no longer means just the visible region ( to be correct, the term visible light should be used). The term light is used to describe the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
2016-05-20 23:33:35 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a collection of waves which travel at the speed of light which collectively is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Light, the colors that we see, is simply a small portion of that spectrum.
This feeds into how we observe colors. Let's say there is a red sheet of paper on a table. Light from the sun or an artificial source typically contains all the wavelengths of light from red to violet. The red paper obsorbs all the light waves except for the small band of wavelengths. This filtered red light can then enter our eyes and send a signal to our brain telling us it is red.
2007-09-15 23:00:27 · answer #3 · answered by lhvinny 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Light travels at the speed of 3x100000000 meters per second (accurately 299,792,458 m/s.)in vaccum. The speed of any electromagnetic wave is the same as light. The elementary particle that defines light is the photon.
2007-09-15 23:14:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
1 ) It travels with the speed of any electromagnetic wave.
2 ) It has transverse nature just like any electromagnetic wave as proved by the phenomenon of polarization.
3 ) It consists of electric intensity vecotors and magnetic intensity vectors oscillating in mutually perpendicular directions and both in planes perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave.
Exact nature of light is still not fully understood as certain phenomena associated with it such as interference, diffraction, can be explained by wave theory and some others like photoelectric effect by particle theory.
2007-09-15 23:42:00 · answer #5 · answered by Madhukar 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because even though light is composed of photons they travel in waves and each energy level of photons exhibits a frequency. ( 400-700 nanometre wavelengths for visible light)
2007-09-15 23:02:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's composed of electric and magnetic waves at right angles to each other
2007-09-15 22:59:25 · answer #7 · answered by 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
because it is composed of fluctuating electric and magnetic fields traveling in the same direction but are orthogonal (perpendicular) to each other.
2007-09-15 23:44:07 · answer #8 · answered by quigonjan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that runs from radio waves up to gamma rays
2007-09-15 22:57:24 · answer #9 · answered by h b 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Because it contains two vectors one electric and the other magnetic at mutually perpendicular directions to the direction of travel.
2007-09-15 22:55:55 · answer #10 · answered by Swamy 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋