photons

[Sparko]

yep I find it interesting too.

so what causes the "wave" - in sound, you have the motion of an object back and forth at a particular frequency that pushes the air molecules and pulls them causing compression waves that are pushed outwards. They are physically propelled by the diaphragm. So what causes the light wave and frequency?

For the sarcastically impaired the following is said in jest

My theory: Space is a vaccuum and it is dark. The light is attracted to the dark vacuum trying to fill the dark holes (darkons). Vacuum sucks the photons into the darkons. And since even much matter is mostly empty space (vacuum) light can move through and is sucked by the vacuum between air molecules. Your eyes are dark inside, so the light is attracted to them and slams into your retinas allowing you to see.

[TheLurch]

So what causes the "wave" - in sound, you have the motion of an object back and forth at a particular frequency that pushes the air molecules and pulls them causing compression waves that are pushed outwards. They are physically propelled by the diaphragm. So what causes the light wave and frequency?

It's not really a wave so much as it's oscillation + motion. For a photon, the electromagnetic field is oscillating around the photon itself. If the photon were stationary and polarized in the right way, we'd just view it as bouncing up and down around the central point. Since it's moving at a finite speed, it end up behaving like a wave.

[Sparko]

It's not really a wave so much as it's oscillation + motion. For a photon, the electromagnetic field is oscillating around the photon itself. If the photon were stationary and polarized in the right way, we'd just view it as bouncing up and down around the central point. Since it's moving at a finite speed, it end up behaving like a wave.

what is an electric field made out of?

[firstfloor]

yep I find it interesting too.

so what causes the "wave" - in sound, you have the motion of an object back and forth at a particular frequency that pushes the air molecules and pulls them causing compression waves that are pushed outwards. They are physically propelled by the diaphragm. So what causes the light wave and frequency?

[Sparko]

The diaphragm of a loud speaker does not really push the wave outwards. For example you could generate a loud low note and a soft high note and they would travel at the same speed of sound through the air. What the speaker is doing is determining pitch and how energetic the wave is. The medium determines the wave velocity.

The wave moves outwards. The diaphragm generates the wave by moving molecules back and forth which push other molecules and continue the wave. It creates high and low pressure zones which propagate through the medium (air, wood, water, whatever)

Isn't an electromagnetic field a medium?

[firstfloor]

The wave moves outwards. The diaphragm generates the wave by moving molecules back and forth which push other molecules and continue the wave. It creates high and low pressure zones which propagate through the medium (air, wood, water, whatever)



Isn't an electromagnetic field a medium?

[TheLurch]

what is an electric field made out of?

How much of quantum field theory do you know?

The only answer i can realistically give is something i'm sure is a gross oversimplification that will horrify physicists (i'm not a physicist, so i'm good with it):

Empty space is filled with fields - gravitational, electromagnetic, etc. These fields mediate all the behavior we see at the quantum level. So, electromagnetic phenomena are basically changes in the electromagnetic fields. In that sense, electric fields aren't "made" of anything - they're simply something that exists in empty space.

[Darth Executor]

There is no way it can go any measurable distance without hitting some atom in the air or in say a piece of clear glass.

There's a lot of space between atoms, even in a solid object. It's also why balloons don't stay inflated forever. Any gas in them will eventually squeeze its way through the rubber until the inside and outside pressure is equalized.

[Sparko]

From what I understand, the electromagnetic force is basically transmitted by photons. After all electromagnetic radiation IS photons. But that still doesn't explain what fields are. the Electric field and Magnetic field are 90 degrees out of phase with each other but what they actually ARE I don't think anyone knows. Magnetism is transmitted via photons and Electricity is transmitted via electrons, and moving a conductor through a magnetic field creates electricity, and moving electricity creates a magnetic field. It's all pretty confusing.

[firstfloor]

From what I understand, the electromagnetic force is basically transmitted by photons. After all electromagnetic radiation IS photons. But that still doesn't explain what fields are. the Electric field and Magnetic field are 90 degrees out of phase with each other but what they actually ARE I don't think anyone knows. Magnetism is transmitted via photons and Electricity is transmitted via electrons, and moving a conductor through a magnetic field creates electricity, and moving electricity creates a magnetic field. It's all pretty confusing.

A field is just some region of space where some influence or other (force) can be felt, say, like the magnetic field surrounding a magnet. Photons are the quantum of the electromagnetic field. It is possible for electricity to give rise to magnetism and for magnetism to give rise to electricity and it is this interplay that is exhibited in electromagnetic radiation (light) that requires no medium.

https://www.scribd.com/document/3391...And-Matter-pdf

[Sparko]

A field is just some region of space where some influence or other (force) can be felt, say, like the magnetic field surrounding a magnet. Photons are the quantum of the electromagnetic field. It is possible for electricity to give rise to magnetism and for magnetism to give rise to electricity and it is this interplay that is exhibited in electromagnetic radiation (light) that requires no medium.

https://www.scribd.com/document/3391...And-Matter-pdf

You just said the same thing I did.

[Sea of red]

From what I understand, the electromagnetic force is basically transmitted by photons. After all electromagnetic radiation IS photons. But that still doesn't explain what fields are. the Electric field and Magnetic field are 90 degrees out of phase with each other but what they actually ARE I don't think anyone knows. Magnetism is transmitted via photons and Electricity is transmitted via electrons, and moving a conductor through a magnetic field creates electricity, and moving electricity creates a magnetic field. It's all pretty confusing.

Fields are just various physical interactions at different points in space-time that can be described by either scalars, vectors, or tensors.

There are fields for just about everything in physics. Fundamental forces like Gravity, Electromagnetism, and the Nuclear forces have specific quanta that levitate them: Gluons for the Strong Nuclear force, Photons for the Electromagnetic force, W and Z Bosons for the Weak force, and a hypothesized 'Gaviton' for the Gravitational force. According to the Theory of Quantum Fields (QFT) these fields exhibit both particle like behavior through their quanta, and also behave as classical fields too. The fields I just mentioned are vector fields as they have both a magnitude and direction, whereas fields such as the Higgs field have no direction and can be represented by just it's magnitude -- so just a single number. Part of the reason Dark Matter is so hard to understand (aside from it not being included in the Standard Model) is because it does not interact with the Electromagnetic field.

Yes, it can be confusing.

[firstfloor]

You just said the same thing I did.

In that case you must be right.

[Sparko]

In that case you must be right.

which means you are right. Welcome to the republican party!

[firstfloor]

which means you are right. Welcome to the republican party!