Is Everything Really Made Up of Light?

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In summary, the conversation revolves around the theory that everything is made up of light and how it relates to the belief in God. The physics teacher's theory is that if you go small enough, everything will be made up of light. Some support this theory by mentioning that light is made of photons, a form of energy. However, others argue that properties such as charge and mass are not found in light. The conversation also touches on the biblical interpretation of "Let there be light" and how it may tie into the theory. In the end, the conversation is left open for discussion and further exploration.
  • #1
the_awesome
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Hey, I'm not exactly a tech junkie or a know it all. Just wanted to hear a few opinions so please don't beat me down.
Also notice that I believe in God, so my question would have something to do with it. Please don't turn this into a religious discussion though.

Okay so anywayz...about a year ago I had a physics teacher. He had many "theories" I guess of how the world ran, etc. One of his ones was that everything is made up of light. As in...if you go small enough (WAY smaller than an electron), then eventually all you'll find is light (hopefully you'l understand). And he also said that he thought that if you go even smaller...you'l find that everything is made up of sound (but let's disregard that part in this discussion).
Okay..so how is his belief related to God? Well...if you refer to Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there be light". I hope you can draw the dots so to speak. The sound part of it comes from God's voice, "And God said". Also note that in the bible, there was light before the sun and moon existed. So I guess that's his little theory. Maybe I haven't explained it correctly. But I just want to hear you guys respond to it. If you don't believe in God then at least discuss the first part - that everything is made up of light. What could support this theory? And what could act against it?

Notice that I find this theory very interesting. I don't believe it, its open for discussion. Maybe you physics geeks can come up with something understandable? lolz

Quotes from youtube vids:

The reason light is hard to describe in terms of physics is because light as we know it doesn't exist outside our minds. That's right, your brain manufactures what we perceive as light from electromagnetic waves known as photons. It is actually completely dark outside. I know that's hard to believe and understand but it's true. There is NO light and the sun gives off no light! Light is only a product of our minds. Some "light waves" are invisible (dark) because our minds do not process them.
Plants, eggs and sand are completely blind. They see no light whatsoever. Plants photosynthesize energy in the form electromagnetic waves that are completely dark apart from a brain to decode such waves into what you know as "light." I know it's a hard concept for most people understand and even accept. But next time you look outside understand one thing. It is completely dark out there the light is all in your head literally. Strange but true
 
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  • #2
the_awesome said:
One of his ones was that everything is made up of light.
Light is made up of photons, which are a form of energy. If you want to say that everything is made up of energy, that might be more correct.
The sound part of it
String theory claims that the universe is made up of incredibly small vibrating strings of energy. So one could say that vibration, not sound, is a fundamental aspect of the universe.

As to your biblical interpretation... one is as good as any other, the book is full of metaphors and allegories, its really not meant to be taken literally, even if one believes in gods.

Quotes from youtube vids:

If your brain manufactures light, then it also manufactures dark.

You really shouldn't take things you see on youtube too seriously.
 
  • #3
the_awesome said:
Hey, I'm not exactly a tech junkie or a know it all. Just wanted to hear a few opinions so please don't beat me down.
Also notice that I believe in God, so my question would have something to do with it. Please don't turn this into a religious discussion though.

Okay so anywayz...about a year ago I had a physics teacher. He had many "theories" I guess of how the world ran, etc. One of his ones was that everything is made up of light. As in...if you go small enough (WAY smaller than an electron), then eventually all you'll find is light (hopefully you'l understand). And he also said that he thought that if you go even smaller...you'l find that everything is made up of sound (but let's disregard that part in this discussion).
Okay..so how is his belief related to God? Well...if you refer to Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there be light". I hope you can draw the dots so to speak. The sound part of it comes from God's voice, "And God said". Also note that in the bible, there was light before the sun and moon existed. So I guess that's his little theory. Maybe I haven't explained it correctly. But I just want to hear you guys respond to it. If you don't believe in God then at least discuss the first part - that everything is made up of light. What could support this theory? And what could act against it?

Notice that I find this theory very interesting. I don't believe it, its open for discussion. Maybe you physics geeks can come up with something understandable? lolz

Then why did you post this in, of all places, the Philosophy forum?

Maybe we can falsify it this way:

While one can produce, say, electron-positron pair, out of light, each electron or positron itself cannot simply be said to be made out of light. Why? Because an electron, for example, isn't JUST a clump of energy (which is what light is). It also has charge, it has a spin quantum number of 1/2, and it has MASS. None of these properties are properties of light.

So if someone claims that everything is made of light, that someone needs to justify how light, when put together, can produce such property.

Zz.
 
  • #4
JoeDawg said:
Light is made up of photons, which are a form of energy. If you want to say that everything is made up of energy, that might be more correct.

String theory claims that the universe is made up of incredibly small vibrating strings of energy. So one could say that vibration, not sound, is a fundamental aspect of the universe.

As to your biblical interpretation... one is as good as any other, the book is full of metaphors and allegories, its really not meant to be taken literally, even if one believes in gods.



If your brain manufactures light, then it also manufactures dark.

You really shouldn't take things you see on youtube too seriously.
Wow thanks for the response.

ZapperZ said:
Then why did you post this in, of all places, the Philosophy forum?

Maybe we can falsify it this way:

While one can produce, say, electron-positron pair, out of light, each electron or positron itself cannot simply be said to be made out of light. Why? Because an electron, for example, isn't JUST a clump of energy (which is what light is). It also has charge, it has a spin quantum number of 1/2, and it has MASS. None of these properties are properties of light.

So if someone claims that everything is made of light, that someone needs to justify how light, when put together, can produce such property.

Zz.
There are a bazillion forums to choose from. So please don't get up me if I chose the wrong one. Now then...can we say that when the electron is broken it releases energy - therefore releasing light. So, it is made up of light/energy. Like I said, it would have to be SMALLER than an electron, so you could say that something else gives an electron the mass - not the light.
 
  • #5
the_awesome said:
Wow thanks for the response.


There are a bazillion forums to choose from. So please don't get up me if I chose the wrong one. Now then...can we say that when the electron is broken it releases energy - therefore releasing light. So, it is made up of light/energy. Like I said, it would have to be SMALLER than an electron, so you could say that something else gives an electron the mass - not the light.

What do you mean by "when the electron is broken"? There is no evidence that electrons can decay or be broken apart, in the way that an atom can be broken apart into protons, neutrons, and electrons. Since it has never been observed, either it cannot happen OR it can happen but we cannot say what the constituent particles are.

Or if you are referring to electron-positron annihilation, that is just the conversion of energy between two forms: mass energy and electromagnetic energy.
 
  • #6
Maybe your teacher said 'quanta'(or 'waves') instead of 'light'?
 
  • #7
the_awesome said:
There are a bazillion forums to choose from. So please don't get up me if I chose the wrong one.

It's just a puzzling choice considering that you see all of those physics forums FIRST, but you have to hunt really deep to find the Philosophy forum. And this is an obvious physics qeustion.

Now then...can we say that when the electron is broken it releases energy - therefore releasing light. So, it is made up of light/energy. Like I said, it would have to be SMALLER than an electron, so you could say that something else gives an electron the mass - not the light.

I have no idea what you just said here. Considering that your original post was trying to base its speculation on established physics, you are now making an unfounded speculation based on non-existent physics.

Furthermore, if something else give an electron the mass, then the electron can't be made up of light ALONE. So the original premise of your post is faulty. That's my whole point. You can't explain everything about all elementary particles based ONLY on the assumption that "everything" is made up of light.

Zz.
 

1. What is light composed of?

Light is composed of tiny packets of energy called photons. These photons have no mass and travel at the speed of light.

2. How does light interact with matter?

Light can interact with matter in three ways - reflection, refraction, and absorption. Reflection occurs when light bounces off an object, while refraction is the bending of light as it passes through a different medium. Absorption happens when light is absorbed by matter, causing it to heat up.

3. What are the properties of light?

Light has many properties, including wavelength, frequency, and speed. It also has a dual nature, behaving both as a wave and a particle. Other properties include polarization, diffraction, and interference.

4. How does light travel through space?

Light travels through space in a straight line at a constant speed of 299,792,458 meters per second. It can travel through a vacuum without any medium, unlike sound which requires a medium to travel.

5. Can light be created or destroyed?

Light cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed into other forms of energy. For example, when light is absorbed by matter, it is converted into heat energy. However, light can also be emitted by matter, such as in the case of bioluminescence or artificial light sources.

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