This may seems like an obvious question but light is actually something that is hard to describe, even for modern scientists! Light is given off – or emitted – from sources, such as the sun, fire, and electric light bulbs. But what is emitted from these sources? At first scientists thought that light must be made of particles, or very small parts of matter. It was then discovered that light actually travels in waves, just like ripples on the surface of water when you throw a rock in it. But it is actually even more complicated than that! Light isn’t really like anything we’re used to dealing with in science. Physicists now know that sometimes light behaves like a particle, and other times it behaves like a wave. Both of these behaviors have very useful applications in our everyday lives.
