There are at least two ways that we know light can travel through a vacuum. The first is
by observation of the Sun and other stars
. … Scientists have measured the speed of light in a vacuum very carefully, and they have very good pumps for achieving very clean vacuum here on earth.
Does light behave differently in a vacuum?
In empty space,
the wave does not dissipate
(grow smaller) no matter how far it travels, because the wave is not interacting with anything else. … So, underwater, or in our atmosphere, light will only travel some finite range (which is different depending on the properties of the material it travels through).
Can light travel in vacuum briefly explain?
Photons
in the light have the property of particle-wave duality. This means they can behave as both particles and waves. Because of this light does not require a medium for propagation. They can travel through a vacuum.
Does light always travel through a vacuum?
Light, no matter how high-or-low in energy,
always moves at the speed of light
, so long as it's traveling through the vacuum of empty space. Nothing you do to your own motion or to the light's motion will change that speed.
Can we see light in vacuum?
In a perfect vacuum, not only can you not see light that isn't traveling toward you, you can't even see light that is traveling toward
you until it actually reaches your eyes
. Light must reach your eyes/detectors one way or another – no matter vacuum or not.
Can sound travel in a vacuum?
IN SPACE, no one can hear you scream. Sound waves are travelling vibrations of particles in media such as air, water or metal. … So it stands to reason that they cannot travel through empty space, where there are no atoms or molecules to vibrate.
Where does light travel fastest?
Explain that unlike sound, light waves travel fastest through
a vacuum and air
, and slower through other materials such as glass or water.
How fast does light travel in a vacuum?
Surprisingly, the answer has nothing to do with the actual speed of light, which is 300,000 kilometers per second (
186,000 miles per second
) through the “vacuum” of empty space.
Does light travel forever?
Light is made up of particles called photons that travel like waves. Unless they interact with other particles (objects), there is nothing to stop them. …
If it is infinite, the light would travel forever.
Does anything travel faster than light?
Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity famously dictates that
no known object can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum
, which is 299,792 km/s. … Unlike objects within space–time, space–time itself can bend, expand or warp at any speed.
Is light faster than darkness?
Most of us already know that darkness is the absence of light, and that light travels at the fastest speed possible for a physical object. … In this respect, darkness has the same speed as light. However, in some instances,
darkness actually moves faster than light
.
Can light be destroyed?
6.
Photons are easily created and destroyed
. Unlike matter, all sorts of things can make or destroy photons. If you're reading this on a computer screen, the backlight is making photons that travel to your eye, where they are absorbed—and destroyed.
Can sound be produced in space?
No, you cannot hear any sounds in near-empty regions of space
. Sound travels through the vibration of atoms and molecules in a medium (such as air or water).
Where does sound travel the fastest?
Sound waves can be described by the wavelength and frequency of the waves. Sound travels more quickly through
solids
than through liquids and gases because the molecules of a solid are closer together and, therefore, can transmit the vibrations (energy) faster.
Can sound spread out in all directions?
Sound vibrations, then,
travel outwards
in all directions in waves from a sound source. As they travel outwards the energy they contain becomes dissipated and therefore the sound becomes weaker the further it is from the source. The shape of a sound wave with no obstacles in its way would be approximately spherical.
What is the slowest speed light can travel?
The speed of light is normally about 186,000 miles per second, or fast enough to go around the world seven times in the wink of eye. Scientists succeeded in slowing it down to
38 mph
. They did this by shooting a laser through extremely cold sodium atoms, which worked like “optical molasses” to slow the light down.
