Please educate me on light/matter

  • Thread starter Pengwuino
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In summary, according to these statements, light can be condensed into matter and matter is a state that energy is in.
  • #1
Pengwuino
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"Light can be condensed into matter"
"matter is a state that energy is in"

Someone please tell me those are wrong/right and explain :)
 
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  • #2
Pengwuino said:
"Light can be condensed into matter"
"matter is a state that energy is in"
What do you mean by "condensed"? Photons, (light ?) are adsorbed by "matter" Is that what you mean?
Yes, Matter is a form of energy.
Someone please tell me those are wrong/right and explain :)

Really your question is so open ended that it is nearly impossible to answer. If you were to enter into a formal course of study you would still be getting answers to those questions after years of work, you seem to want cliff notes, or the 25 words or less version of a entire physics course.
 
  • #3
Well actually some guy said those are true and I am just thinking "no no no, that's wrong" but i can't really figure why there wrong. He said light can be condensed and acted like it can be condensed just like you condense steam into water or air into LN and so on and so forth. Second one i was arguing that atoms have energy associated with them and that atoms "have energy". He said "no, Energy comes in the form of atoms" basically.
 
  • #4
Pengwuino said:
Well actually some guy said those are true and I am just thinking "no no no, that's wrong" but i can't really figure why there wrong. He said light can be condensed and acted like it can be condensed just like you condense steam into water or air into LN and so on and so forth. Second one i was arguing that atoms have energy associated with them and that atoms "have energy". He said "no, Energy comes in the form of atoms" basically.

Well, a pair of sufficiently energetic photons can fom an electron-positron or other particle-antiparticle pair. But condensation really isn't the right word to describe this process. It's usually reserved for the specific case of a gas turning into a liquid.

If you think it's worthwhile arguing, you can ask your friend to describe an experiment that would distinguish between his statmenets and yours. His statements are really pretty vague, they don't actually say much.
 
  • #5
I don't understand why there are all of these "is light matter" debates. By definition matter has 2 things: mass and volume. Light has neither. End of story.
 
  • #6
There is no "debate" right now. You're responding to a thread that had its last activity in 2005!

Zz.
 

1. What is light?

Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye. It is made up of particles called photons that travel in waves at the speed of light. Light can also be described as a form of energy that can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted by matter.

2. What is matter?

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. It is the physical substance that makes up the universe and everything in it, including atoms, molecules, and particles. Matter can exist in different states such as solid, liquid, and gas.

3. How do light and matter interact?

Light and matter interact through a process called electromagnetic radiation. When light comes into contact with matter, it can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted. The way light interacts with matter depends on the properties of both the light and the matter, such as the frequency and energy of the light and the density and composition of the matter.

4. What is the relationship between light and matter in the field of physics?

In physics, light and matter are closely related and are both studied under the branch of science known as optics. Light is often used to study matter and its properties, while matter can also affect the behavior of light. The interaction between light and matter is essential in many scientific fields, such as quantum mechanics, astrophysics, and materials science.

5. How does light travel through matter?

Light travels through matter in different ways, depending on the properties of the matter. In some cases, light can pass through matter without being absorbed or scattered, such as in a vacuum. In other cases, light can be absorbed or scattered by matter, which can change its direction or color. The way light travels through matter is essential in understanding how objects appear and how we see the world around us.

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