Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye. It is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see, traveling at an incredible speed of nearly three hundred million meters per second. Light exhibits a fascinating dual nature, behaving both as waves and as particles called photons.
Light is just a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This spectrum includes radio waves with the longest wavelengths, followed by microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and gamma rays with the shortest wavelengths. Only the visible light portion can be detected by our eyes, spanning from red to violet colors.
One of the most fascinating aspects of light is its wave-particle duality. Light behaves as both a wave and a particle depending on how we observe it. As a wave, it has properties like wavelength, frequency, and can create interference patterns. As particles called photons, light carries energy in discrete packets, with energy equal to Planck's constant times frequency.
Light travels at an incredible speed of nearly three hundred million meters per second in a vacuum. This is the universal speed limit - nothing can travel faster than light. It takes light about one point two eight seconds to travel from Earth to the Moon, covering a distance of over three hundred eighty thousand kilometers. This constant speed forms the foundation of Einstein's theory of relativity.
To summarize what we have learned about light: Light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, exhibiting fascinating wave-particle duality. It travels at the universal speed limit and is essential for vision, forming the foundation of modern physics and technology.