If space is a vacuum, how does light travel...

sonic412781 · 07-29-2008, 09:07 AM

...through it? Or could a vacuum be defined as being devoid of physical matter but still can contain energy?

attitudecomesfar · 07-29-2008, 09:22 AM

in fact vaccuum is not so empty as we can thinkit has low mass density so light can be transmitted and faster than in any other media.

strike · 07-31-2008, 01:48 AM

Light has nothing to do with space. It is a property of the electromagnetic field when this field is undergoing changes. from its point of origin, this field radiates out into space in all directions. It is invisible, but can be felt by charged particles. When this field is changed, for instance by suddenly altering the position of its emitter, a kink develops in the field which propagates out into space at the speed of light. Under the right circumstances of acceleration, this kink becomes electromagnetic radiation - light. So space simply acts as a passive container for the electromagnetic field, which in turn is the 'medium' in which light exists.

www.howstuffworks.com

matt the librarian · 07-31-2008, 09:16 PM

Light has a wave-particle duality. Sometimes it acts like a wave similar to a radio wave that can easily travel through a vacuum, and sometimes it acts like a particle. The current wikipedia article explains it fairly well. (Note- wikipedia is editable so if it seems wrong check the history and read the entry that was there at the time this was posted.)

en.wikipedia.org

07-29-2008, 09:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
sonic412781 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Diggs: 0 My Profile Profile Last Updated: 07-29-2008	If space is a vacuum, how does light travel... ...through it? Or could a vacuum be defined as being devoid of physical matter but still can contain energy?

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07-29-2008, 09:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
attitudecomesfar Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Diggs: 0 My Profile Profile Last Updated: 07-29-2008	in fact vaccuum is not so empty as we can thinkit has low mass density so light can be transmitted and faster than in any other media.

07-31-2008, 01:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
strike Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Diggs: 0 My Profile Profile Last Updated: 07-31-2008	Light has nothing to do with space. It is a property of the electromagnetic field when this field is undergoing changes. from its point of origin, this field radiates out into space in all directions. It is invisible, but can be felt by charged particles. When this field is changed, for instance by suddenly altering the position of its emitter, a kink develops in the field which propagates out into space at the speed of light. Under the right circumstances of acceleration, this kink becomes electromagnetic radiation - light. So space simply acts as a passive container for the electromagnetic field, which in turn is the 'medium' in which light exists. www.howstuffworks.com

07-31-2008, 09:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
matt the librarian Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Diggs: 0 My Profile Profile Last Updated: 07-31-2008	Light has a wave-particle duality. Sometimes it acts like a wave similar to a radio wave that can easily travel through a vacuum, and sometimes it acts like a particle. The current wikipedia article explains it fairly well. (Note- wikipedia is editable so if it seems wrong check the history and read the entry that was there at the time this was posted.) en.wikipedia.org

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