Light - Light Waves

Question 1

light

Answer 1

• Light, like sound, is a wave. Unlike sound, though, it is not made of oscillating molecules. Instead, light is a wave of Electric Fields and Magnetic Fields. Electric and Magnetic Fields are created by electric charges; they fill the space around the charge. If an electric charge oscillates, like the charge in an atom that is vibrating back and forth, the Electric and Magnetic fields it creates will oscillate up and down, too, creating a wave. That wave is Light.
• One of the odd things about Light is that it doesn’t need a medium, like air. Electric and Magnetic fields can exist in empty space (in a “vacuum”), so light can travel through empty space as well. In a sense, space itself is the medium for light waves.