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The Nature of Light. Light is energy that travels in electromagnetic waves, meaning it can travel through a medium (matter) or through a vacuum (empty space). The speed of light is 300,000,000 meters/second. . An electromagnetic wave consists of changing electric and magnetic fields.
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The Nature of Light • Light is energy that travels in electromagnetic waves, meaning it can travel through a medium (matter) or through a vacuum (empty space). • The speed of light is 300,000,000 meters/second.
An electromagnetic wave consists of changing electric and magnetic fields. • Radiation is the transfer of light as electromagnetic waves. • Photons are the particles of light that travel in waves. They are not considered matter and are better described as little packets of energy.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Visible Light • The narrow band of light that we can see is called visible light, or white light. Visible light waves have wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers (one-billionth of a meter)
White light consists of an array of colors having different wavelengths. • Refractionis the bending of a wave as it passes at an angle from one medium to another. • When it passes through a glass prism, white light can disperse into its component colors according to wavelength (the light spectrum). Colors with shorter wavelengths will deviate more from their original path. • Light can also be absorbed into matter, or reflected.