Originally posted by The Matrix TravellerTo see Black must involve LIGHT or you would Not be able to see that Black in the Dark
Room ???
That room had no light in it. If it had then the photographic emulsion would have been exposed. To say that something that everybody else regards as
an absence of light is actually light, but light that doesn't interact with any optical equipment or light-sensitive materials that every other form
of light interacts with would seem to me to be meaningless.
I think you are confusing seeing with discerning here. Our eyes take in photons that impact on light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. I'm sure
you know this. The fact that we can focus the light entering our eyes to form an image shows that the light varies in intensity. This is essential in
order for us to discern objects. The less light that enters our eyes, the darker the image we see. Reduce that light to a certain point, the limit of
the ssensitivity of the cones and rods in our retinas, and all we perceive is darkness. Other animals that have more sensitive eyes (more light
receptors) are able to see in lower light levels. This is easily shown if you have a dog or a cat.
Dogs only have rods, so they only see in black and white. This does not mean that there is only white light, does it?
Think about it for a second or two...
I've thought about it alot. I now have a couple of questions for you to think about:
1) The space between stars in the night sky is black. You are saying this is light, yes? What is emitting this light?
2) Cover your eyes with a thick blanket. No light is entering your eyes, what do you "see" then?
But my Question is about what LIGHT is ???
I understand wave Length but what is that "wave length" a representation of ???
I'm surprised you responded to the post early in this thread that linked to an animation of the double slit experiment, and yet all you took from it
is that "light is aware". This experiment shows that a photon behaves both as a wave and a particle. The waves enter both slits and cause an
interference pattern to form on the screen beyond the slits. Replace that screen with a sheet of photgraphic emulsion and fire one photon at a time
toward the slits and you will see a single dark spot where the photon hits. It has gone through one slit or the other, yes? Repeat this over and over
and you will see the same interference pattern building up. Forget about the quantum implications involving the uncertainty of the photons position
until the wave function collapses (hits the emulsion) the important point is that light is both a wave and a particle.
Another, readily verified, phenomenon that demonstrates this should play into your work with prisms.
Supernumerary bows are elements of a rainbow that can sometimes be seen. These are caused by
constructive and destructive interference in the light waves. This would be impossible if light only behaved as a particle.
[quoute]But what actually is it ???
According to Alex Filippenko, light is:
"one form of electromagnetic radiation, produced as waves with different lengths and frequencies.". "Different kinds of electromagnetic radiation
are fundamentally the same thing, but they have different wavelengths, different frequencies. They're seen in different ways using different
detectors, but they're all fundamentall the same thing."
The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation:
Gamma rays - wavelength ~0.1 Angstroms
X-rays - wavelength 0.1 - 100 Angstroms
Ultraviolet (UV) - wavelength 100 - 4000 Angstroms
Optical (visible) light - wavelength 4000 - 7000 Angstroms
Infrared (IR) - wavelength 7000 Angstroms - 1 mm
Radio waves - wavelength 1mm - 10+km
(1 Angstrom = 0.1 nanometer)
PS. What are your thoughts on my last Animation regarding the Rotating Lines ???
This is an effect (that barely showed on my screen BTW) that IS purely down to the way our brains interpret information. We are hunters, we need to be
able to discern movement, so our brains sometimes perceive movement where there is none, as long as the static images have a logical relationship.
Look at a TV picture. You are seeing 26 static images per second. Our brains fill in the transitions between the still images, giving the illusion of
movement.
You commented on the perceived granularity in your animation. Look at each frame in turn for longer than a few seconds before changing to the next.
You will see no granularity. This has nothing to do with the nature of light.