How do light travels?

Answer 1

Light waves are a little more complicated than other waves, such as sound waves, water waves, etc. This is because unlike other types of waves, such as sound waves, water waves, etc., light waves do not need a medium to travel through. Light waves can travel through a vacuum. A medium can be in either of the three states of matter, that is, it is either in the solid state of matter (as most materials are) or in the liquid state of matter (such as water) or in the gaseous state of matter (such as air).

A light wave consists of energy in the form of an electric filed and a magnetic field. The electric and magnetic fields vibrate at right angles (that is, at angles which measure 90 degrees) to the direction in which the light wave is moving. Light has both the electric field and the magnetic field. It is because of this reason that light is also referred to as electromagnetic radiation.