Science

Although Einstein is known for his theories of relativity, he is also responsible for making a great contribution to the understanding of quantum mechanics via his study of light relating to the...

On the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, infrared light is between radio waves and visible light. Infrared light is invisible light that consists largely of thermal radiation. One of the main...

A light-year, which is abbreviated ly, is a measure of distance based on how far light travels in a year. It equals about 5.9 trillion miles or 9.5 trillion kilometers.

Most people are familiar with the strange, fluorescent glow produced when ultraviolet radiation--commonly called a "black light"--strikes certain liquids or other materials. This unusual glow is...

Lighting is an important element in viewing specimens through a microscope. Proper lighting aids in contrast, definition and resolution of the specimen being viewed. Microscopes are available with...

Technology for electricity has evolved over time, but the basic principles of positive and negative charges can be demonstrated by creating a simple battery with supplies around the house and from...

With the growing popularity of DVD recorders, medium-power laser diodes are more widely available. The 150 milliwatt (mW) devices record by burning tiny pits in a blank DVD. They can burn other...

Although human eyes cannot see the ultraviolet light emitted by black light bulbs, certain objects glow under black light. This occurs because those objects reflect that light back as part of the...

Visible light normally travels through air. Occasionally light passes through a transparent medium like glass or water. Most of the light strikes the medium perpendicular to the surface and passes...

Ultraviolet (UV) light comes from the sun and is invisible to the human eye. All life needs some UV light to survive. Humans also need UV light to make vitamin D, a hormone essential to bone...

Black light reveals phosphors or materials which glow under the ultraviolet light by definition of Encyclopedia Britannica. Because phosphors exist all around us, the black light can be used in a...

When a person is light-headed, it is usually because his blood is not flowing to his head properly. This is a condition not to be taken lightly, especially if it happens frequently, as it can be...

Without far infrared rays, life on Earth as we know it likely could not exist. Unlike visible light, infrared rays usually are not seen with the naked eye. The average home contains products that...

Although it might seem like there is a world of difference between a candle and an electric light bulb, in fact an incandescent light bulb like the one perfected by Thomas Edison produces light...

The rainbow colors of the light spectrum are as useful as they are pretty to look at. Each chemical element has a unique pattern of colors. Scientists use this information to identify substances,...

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are low-power lighting devices used in many applications today. Light-emitting diodes have no filament, which can burn out; therefore, they last longer than...

Curved mirrors have a variety of uses, from photography in replacing glass lenses, to security and safety, to the whimsical, like fun-house mirrors. Chiefly, they either provide wide-angle views...

Just behind the protective layer of the lens, there is an infrared/ultraviolet light filter that blocks all incoming light that is not in the visible spectrum. This includes the IR-A, -B and -C...

White shirts appear to glow under black light because they contain fluorescent compounds. This can often be traced to laundry detergent.

The smaller a piece of matter is, the more it displays wavelike characteristics. For example, protons are 1,830 times more massive than electrons and so act like particles concentrated in the...

Light is electromagnetic waves, and the frequency is one of the wave characteristics. While the period is the duration (in seconds) of one full wave, the frequency is the number of periods per...

A black light is an incandescent or fluorescent lamp that emits almost exclusively ultraviolet light. Because of the way UV light interacts with certain molecules, some materials, including new...

A compound light microscope has many different parts that work together to produce a magnified image of a specimen. In order to obtain an image that is sharply focused, it is important to...

Lasers are being used increasingly as machine tools. The heat from its intense light can cut many materials. The light is precisely guided by a computerized machine, making the laser cutter...

Ultraviolet (UV) light has many useful features. It carries more energy than visible light, making it a potent germ killer. It causes certain substances to glow, aiding in crime detection and...

Photosynthesis is the process by which certain organisms, including plants, create sugars from the carbon dioxide in the air and the oxygen atom of water. The energy that drives this process comes...

Spectroscopy is the study of the spectral nature of light, that is, its ability to be separated into a series of colors. A rainbow created by white light from the sun being separated into a...

Can you imagine having to live and work in the dark? Before the invention of the light bulb, people used a variety of different ways to light their way at night. Wax candles and lamps that burned...

Fiber optic lights feature optical fibers that have pulses of light sent through them. Typically, the light will be emitted at the tip of the fiber and will appear to glow. Since the light...

If you've got a drawer or bag full of batteries all mixed together, it's impossible to tell just by looking at them which ones are "good" and which ones are long past being useful. Buying a...

Watches, stickers, toys-- all of these can glow in the dark. Most glow-in-the-dark products employ phosphors, a type of chemical. Glow-in-the-dark seems like magic, but is really a matter of...

While there are many artificial sources of ultraviolet light, there is only one important natural source: the sun. The ultraviolet light from the sun accounts for most of that type of radiation...

A plasma ball is a glass ball with a miniature Tesla coil inside. When the plasma ball is turned on, you can see what looks like purple lightning shooting out from the center of the ball to the...

Light enters the eye to cause vision, and the cornea and pupil are integral to this action. Both parts of the eye need to function correctly if you want to see clearly, and any damage or illness...

Light-emitting diodes are commonly seen in our everyday lives. These small devices use less electricity than similarly sized incandescent lights. For that reason, LEDs are used for applications...

Everything seen must get carried to the eye through light. The eye functions to take light and send it to the brain, which translates the light into images. Light does not enter the eye from one...

Photocells are semiconductors that are light detectors. They are essentially light dependent resistors, because they have an output that is proportional to the amount of light that falls upon...

The 21st century affords the option of purchasing incandescent and/or fluorescent light bulbs for our homes. The bulb varieties are considerably different in construction, in mode of operation,...

The Newtonian physics of the 1800's described matter and energy as two different elements. This remained the prevailing view until Albert Einstein's formula for energy and mass opened up a new...

The rotation of a Mova globe is driven by magnetism and a photoelectric mechanism powered by light. There are actually two spheres. The outer one is an acrylic shell, inside which a second sphere...

For decades, optical sensors have been finding their way into an increasing number of applications. The development of semiconductors in the 1940s and '50s led to lower-cost, compact and efficient...

Infrared light is a scientific breakthrough that has led to advancements in many fields and applications. Read on for some common uses of infrared technology.

3D holographic technology is a technique of scattering light to present an image that appears to the eye to be three dimensional. The image is an attempt to record a picture of an object and...

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert solar energy into the life-sustaining chemical energy called ATP. Photosynthesis occurs in plants and some species of algae that are...

The light-dependent stage of photosynthesis is closely related to the plant's green coloring. As sunlight hits the leaves of the plant, yellow and green light are reflected while red and blue...

Refraction of light is when light bends as it passes at a slant through an interface between two materials. It is a phenomenon familiar to fishermen, who see their fishing lines appear to bend in...

Because of environmental and financial concerns, more people are looking for ways to cut energy use. One technology that's seeing increased use is the fluorescent light bulb. It's a technology...

Prisms are common objects in our daily lives. Used for decorative, scientific and practical purposes, prisms are just about everywhere. Prisms also have a lot to offer as tools for science...

Prisms are familiar objects in our daily lives. Used as decorations, in toys, in manufactured goods and in scientific apparatus, prisms are transparent materials that refract white light so as to...

The 1801 is a student microscope intended for the study of microbiology. Students can use it to take a closer look at insects, rocks, plants and cellular life. These microscopes are most...