Light is one of the most important and fascinating natural phenomena in the world. It is a form of electromagnetic energy emitted by a light source, perceivable to the naked eye and essential for allowing life on Earth
It can be generated from a variety of sources. The main ones include the stars, planets and the Earth itself. Sunlight is the most common source of light and contains a range of wavelengths. Most of the sunlight that reaches the earth is between 400 and 800 nm.
Light can also be classified according to its colour. The colors of light are usually described using a color scale ranging from red to violet. White light, for example, is a combination of all the colors in the visible spectrum.
In this article we will not talk about electricity prices or bills – if you are looking for the cheapest light tariffs, you can find the answer you are looking for on tariff comparison sites and specialist sites – but we will try to find out what light really is and how it has come to its discovery.
Discovery of light
As already mentioned, light is a fundamental element that governs our world, but how was it discovered?
In 350 BC Aristotle wrote that light was a product of the interaction between air and water. In the 16th century, Galileo Galilei claimed that light was a form of energy, in 1675 the English engineer Robert Hooke discovered that light was made up of a series of particles moving in straight lines, and in 1690, Isaac Newton was the first to explain light using the theory of reflection and refraction. Later, in 1801, the French astronomer Jean-Baptiste Biot discovered that light was made up of a variety of colors by splitting white light in a prism.
In the 19th century, German physicist Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Schrödinger demonstrated that light was a form of electromagnetic wave energy. He also discovered that light behaved like a particle and like a wave, a phenomenon known as wave-particle duality.
In 1845, physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel proved that light was actually an electromagnetic wave. This discovery led to the development of many technologies, such as lasers and optical fibers, which are the basis of our communication technology today.
The most important discovery occurred in the 20th century, when Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity, according to which light is the fastest of the known forces and is governed by gravity).
What are the effects of light on earth?
Solar energy is essential for life on Earth. Sunlight provides heat, lighting, energy and has a significant impact on the earth’s ecosystem. Indeed, it affects the growth of plants, animals, the temperature of the atmosphere, the atmosphere, water cycles and biological cycles.
Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen. This process is important for food production and habitat creation for animals. Furthermore, sunlight is also essential for the nutrition of most animals by trapping the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
When the sun’s rays reach the earth, they are absorbed by the earth’s surface, heating it. This process is known as absorption of solar radiation. As the earth’s surface warms up, the air temperature also rises. Sunlight is also responsible for the production of water vapor. When the sun’s rays reach the earth’s surface, they contribute to the evaporation of water from the soil, plants and the ocean. This process is known as solar evaporation.
Sunlight today is also used to produce electricity through the use of solar panels. This energy is then transformed into electrical energy which can be used to power electrical equipment.
The article What is light? comes from allteK.