Light Energy Essay

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LIGHT ENERGY When thinking of light energy many questions come to mind. For instance, what is light energy, or how do we get light energy. What is the speed of light or how is light measured? Let’s start with what is light energy? Light energy is a form of electromagnetic energy. It is the only form of energy that we can see directly. We can see it because light reflects, or bounces off of an object and into our eyes so we can see it. Light is a kind of energy that can move in waves and it is made up of a flow of small particles of energy called photons. There are many sources of light. Our main source is the sun. It is also the most important. Light energy is produced or given off directly from the sun. Other sources of light are stars, lightning, and fire. All of these examples are natural sources of light energy. Artificial sources of light are created by people. There are many ways to produce it. Artificial light sources can be put in three categories. The three categories are gas discharge, luminescent, and thermal. An example of gas discharge source is a neon lamp. A fluorescent tube is an example of luminescent source of light. Examples of thermal light sources are incandescent lamps and burning candles. Other sources of light are light bulbs, a camera flash, and traffic lights. Many living things such as plants, animals, and people rely on light to survive. Plants convert sunlight into food through the process of photosynthesis to grow and change. Cold-blooded animals like reptiles, amphibians, and insects rely on light to warm their bodies. People need light to grow crops, but we also need light to see. People use electricity to light their homes and some use solar power, which converts sunlight to electricity. Nothing travels faster than light. Light travels as a wave. It moves very quickly. At 186,282 miles per. second or 299,792,458 meter per. second.

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