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submitted 1 year ago by EherVielleicht@feddit.de to c/memes@lemmy.ml
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[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Ok so a wave is the physical expression of energy transferring through a medium

Ocean waves are kinetic energy transferring from water molecule to water molecule, sound is high frequency waves moving through a transmissible medium in a way we can perceive as noise, etcetera.

"Light is a wave and a particle" refers to the fact that since photons travel in a probability wave until perceived, they are capable of being their own medium for electromagnetic energy.

This is why light can travel in a vacuum where other wave based phenomenon cannot, light comes with its own medium to travel through the void with.

[-] SickPanda@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

light can be glad there is no space police. That's illegal.

[-] ssboomman@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

This kinda falls apart once you realize that all small particles (atoms, electrons, molecules, etc) have wave particle duality.

[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yes but its the best "in English please" explanation I can come up with.

Otherwise we're going to have to start talking about the non-zero odds a beautiful woman is going to materialize and accept the second ice cream cone and nobody has the time for that outside of a laboratory or lecture hall.

[-] Chrobin@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This medium you're talking about is called "aether" and was disproven in 1887.

[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

No, that is the separate medium, I'm talking about the photon being both the medium and the energy the medium is carrying.

this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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