0
how can we say light does not need light to travel
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Does light require a medium to travel through?
No, light doesn't need a physical medium, like air, to travel. As a matter of fact, light travels the fastest it possibly can, 2.98 * 10^8 meters per second, in a vacuum, like space. If light couldn't travel without a medium, then Earth wouldn't receive any light from the Sun.
What can a medium travel thru?
Nothing (say a vacuum). The medium is what the sound travels through.
Why did you say the sound depend ion the medium through which the sound travel?
Since sound waves need some medium to propagate or multiply through it follows that the nature or density of the medium would directly or indirectly affect the nature of the wave.
What does light do when it travels through a medium?
Light slows down when going through a medium. This is not to say that the speed of light, c, slows down. It doesn't - c remains constant - rather the light bounces randomly around the medium on its way to its destination, which increases the time it takes for the light to traverse through the medium.
Can light travel thought a vacuum why or why not?
Light can travel through a "vacuum" because the vacuum has a medium to transport light. Light can travel through a vacuum due to its dual nature; it can exhibit behaviours of either particles or waves, depending on the conditions under which it is observed, a situation called "particle/wave duality". A wave would need a medium to propagate (move) through, but a particle is like a tiny bullet, and can move independently (though still affected by) of the medium. In the case of a vacuum (by definition a space containing no matter), light behaves like a particle (called a photon), and moves through it in a straight line, unaffected. If, in that vacuum, it encounters something else, say a diffraction grating, its wave nature appears and it diffracts (spreads out), exactly as a wave would, but a particle would not.
Does light require a medium to travel through?
No, light doesn't need a physical medium, like air, to travel. As a matter of fact, light travels the fastest it possibly can, 2.98 * 10^8 meters per second, in a vacuum, like space. If light couldn't travel without a medium, then Earth wouldn't receive any light from the Sun.
Do Light Waves Require Mediums?
Light waves can travel through empty space. You might say that the empty space is the medium in this case.
What can a medium travel thru?
Nothing (say a vacuum). The medium is what the sound travels through.
What is the material called that waves travel through?
Any material through which any wave travels is called a medium. Ocean waves travel through the medium of seawater. Sound cannot travel through outer space, because there is no medium there to support sound waves. Mechanical waves such as sound and vibration require a medium through which to travel. Usually air, or a solid or liquid - matter in other words.
Why did you say the sound depend ion the medium through which the sound travel?
Since sound waves need some medium to propagate or multiply through it follows that the nature or density of the medium would directly or indirectly affect the nature of the wave.
What does light do when it travels through a medium?
Light slows down when going through a medium. This is not to say that the speed of light, c, slows down. It doesn't - c remains constant - rather the light bounces randomly around the medium on its way to its destination, which increases the time it takes for the light to traverse through the medium.
Can light travel thought a vacuum why or why not?
Light can travel through a "vacuum" because the vacuum has a medium to transport light. Light can travel through a vacuum due to its dual nature; it can exhibit behaviours of either particles or waves, depending on the conditions under which it is observed, a situation called "particle/wave duality". A wave would need a medium to propagate (move) through, but a particle is like a tiny bullet, and can move independently (though still affected by) of the medium. In the case of a vacuum (by definition a space containing no matter), light behaves like a particle (called a photon), and moves through it in a straight line, unaffected. If, in that vacuum, it encounters something else, say a diffraction grating, its wave nature appears and it diffracts (spreads out), exactly as a wave would, but a particle would not.
What does the word medium refer to in terms of lights and waves?
actually light is nothing but combination of so many Waves. so we can say that light and waves are not different things that means if a light can move through a medium we an say that the waves an also move through that so medium refers the same meaning both in terms of light and waves
What proof say that light travel in a straight path?
From rectilinear propagation of light.
Can you say that light is actually moving if the distance it has to travel is reduced to zero?
No
Does amplitude of light change from medium to medium?
Yes, it can. Medium has stages, as in, it's not specific. You can't say that there is only a minor, medium, and only bright stages, because there are different levels of such.
Where does light travel to?
Light emitted by any light source - say, by a lamp, or by the Sun - travels in all directions.
