Ever noticed how light is the first thing we see when we're born? It's like the universe saying, 'Welcome!' In just a few weeks, we start recognizing faces and things with the help of this friendly light.
But here's the cool part – as we grow up, we find out that light is not just there; it's kind of mysterious. You can't touch it, but you can see it everywhere, especially from the Sun. All stars produce light!
Even though light is super important for life on Earth, we don't know everything about it. Scientists have been puzzled by this invisible thing for a long time.
So, in this video, we'll check out how holograms are made, learn the secrets behind your sunglasses, and even figure out why the speed of light is the way it is.
Join us as we dive into experiments that shine a light on the stuff that brightens up our world.
Newton’s Prism and Pink Floyd
Would you believe me if I told you that the iconic Pink Floyd album cover, "The Dark Side of the Moon," shares a profound connection with Sir Isaac Newton?
Young’s Double Slit Experiment and Fresnel Lenses
In the 19th century, Augustin-Jean Fresnel and Thomas Young brought about a significant change in our understanding of light by supporting the wave theory.
Single Photon Double Slit Experiment
In Young's experiment, originally, a full beam of light passed through the slits. But then someone had a curious thought: What if we sent only one photon at a time through the slit?
Einstein's Photoelectric Effect and Planck's Quanta
Einstein himself acknowledged that meticulous experiments could reveal whether light behaved as particles or waves. In 1905, he delved into the photoelectric effect, a phenomenon discovered two decades earlier by scientist Heinrich Hertz.
As you can understand, a series of experiments on the nature of light triggered a paradigm shift in our understanding of reality. This transformative period altered the course of science, prompting scientists to reexamine past experiments and search for clues that would contribute to a groundbreaking theory of light. This emerging theory challenged our existing knowledge and paved the way for the development of quantum theory. Since those pivotal moments, science has never been the same, and the exploration of light has opened up new realms of understanding.
Speed of Light!
But let’s leave behind the dual nature of light for a moment, and focus on another of its intrinsic properties: speed.
Dirac and the 3 Polarizers Paradox
In this video, we're discovering that intriguing phenomena unfold when we manipulate light. Fresnel, known for his fascination with lenses and light, was well aware of this.
Compton and Rayleigh Scattering
It's important to note that not all scientists were initially convinced that light could exhibit both wave and particle characteristics. This skepticism led scientists from diverse backgrounds, countries, and time periods to conduct their own experiments in an attempt to better understand the nature of light.
Temporal Double Slit Experiment
Let's think again about the coolest experiment with light – the double-slit experiment. It showed that light can act like both a wave and a particle. Now, in 2023, scientists at Imperial College did something neat.
The Probabilistic Nature of Reality - A Thought Experiment
Here's the deal: when we try to observe light, it's like catching it playing hide and seek. It decides to be all discreet and quantized, snapping to specific values. No one really knows why it does that – it's a cosmic mystery.--