Since in science, things can only be considered from the perspective of
observable phenomena, the properties of light are only understood only
through their interaction with other particles and energy in given
situations. Photons exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior
depending on the situation (Google wave-particle duality).
Since the concept of a "particle" or a "wave" describes behavior in
certain situations, I would say that light propagating in free space
exhibits no specific properties. The properties only arise in relation
to it's interaction with the rest of the universe.
I am not a big fan of the reductionist philosophy where one tries to
understand the universe in terms of individual components with inherent
properties. I do not think it makes sense to discuss a photon (or
anything else for that matter) outside of the context of it's being a
small subset or component of the universe, which is a large
interconnected system or sequence of cause and effect events.
For clarity, I'll restate it differently:
A photon is really just an imaginary construct or model we have invented
to group together a series of closely related events and behavior we
have observed in the universe. The observed phenomena is real, but the
photon itself is only an intellectual tool for understanding,
describing, and predicting those phenomena. Neither the "wave" or
"particle" models alone accurately describe these phenomena, so we have
invented two different models which we apply in different situations.
It's really not very elegant, but nobody has come up with something
better (yet).
I hope that makes sense...
Tyler
OK Don wrote:
So, are photons in motion particles or waves?
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