The Science of Everything Podcast Episode 32: Light and Optics
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Apr 14, 2012 Dive into the fascinating world of light and optics! Discover the evolution of our understanding from Newton's corpuscular theory to wave-particle duality. Explore how light interacts with matter through absorption, reflection, and refraction. Unearth the significance of the Michelson–Morley experiment and how electromagnetism reshaped our views. Learn about why materials are classified as transparent or opaque, and how prisms and rainbows create stunning visual effects. This discussion illuminates the science behind the light we often take for granted!
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Historical Particle vs Wave Debate
- Light was historically debated as particles (Newton) versus waves (Huygens), each explaining some phenomena but failing others.
- Experiments like diffraction and interference favored waves while refraction speed measurements challenged Newton's corpuscular view.
Maxwell’s Electromagnetic Breakthrough
- Maxwell unified light with electromagnetism as self-propagating electromagnetic waves needing no ether.
- Hertz then produced radio waves, confirming Maxwell's prediction and linking radio and visible light behaviors.
Wave-Particle Duality Resolved
- Einstein revived a particle view to explain the photoelectric effect, introducing photons as energy packets.
- Quantum mechanics later reconciled both pictures: light is quantized photons that also show wave behavior.