Classically, light can be thought of in two ways: either as a particle or a wave. But what is it really? Well, the ‘observer effect’ makes that question kind of difficult to answer. So before we get ...

It’s in your physics textbook, go look. It says that you can either model light as an electromagnetic wave OR you can model light a stream of photons. You can’t use both models at the same time. It’s ...

What is light made of: waves or particles? This basic question has fascinated physicists since the early days of science. Quantum mechanics predicts that photons, particles of light, are both ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...

Does light behave more like a particle, or like a wave? Today we know the surprising answer. Here's why it took so long to get there. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. This article is more than 4 years old. Light is well known to exhibit ...

Light’s dual nature, manifesting as both wave-like and particle-like behaviour, is a phenomenon known as wave-particle duality and remains one of the most perplexing mysteries in quantum mechanics.

Introduction You may have heard that light consists of particles called photons. How could something as simple as light be made of particles? Physicists describe light as both a particle and a wave.

The precise knowledge of one of two complementary experimental outcomes prevents us from obtaining complete information about the other one. This formulation of Niels Bohr's principle of ...