Other Kinds of Light

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
my visible light has the dual property that it behaves like a wave and particles(photon’s).visible light has the wavelength of 4000-8000A. My question is : light is an electromagnetic wave. Do other electromagnetic waves like x-rays or uv rays radiowaves consist of particles too? If so what are they? if not, why?
- jayveer parekh (age 15)
india
A:
Gamma Rays (X-Rays) and UV Rays are both made of particles and have wave properties, just as visible light does. Their particles are called .... photons. The difference between UV and Gamma Rays and visible light is that the light you mention has a higher energy per photon, and our eyes are unable to detect this light. Infrared radiation is also made of photons, each with less energy than those in visible light.

Jason

(published on 10/22/2007)