What are the Characteristics of Light
The Characteristics of light :
- Light is an electromagnetic wave.
- Light travels in a straight line.
- Light is a transverse wave, and does not need any medium to travel. Light can travel through vaccum. Its speed through vaccum is 3 × 108 m/s.
- The velocity of light changes when it travels from one medium to another.
- The wavelength (λ) of light changes when it goes from one medium to another.
- The frequency (f) of the light wave remains the same in all media.
- Light gets reflected back from polished surfaces, such as mirrors, polished metal surfaces, etc.
- Light undergoes refraction (bending) when it travels from one transparent medium to another.
- Light does not need a material medium to travel, that is, it can travel through a vacuum too. Scientists have assigned a value of 299, 792, 458 m/s to the speed of light in vacuum.
- According to current scientific theories, no material particle can travel at a speed greater than that of light in vacuum.