Light is electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation occurs over an extremely wide range of wavelengths, from gamma rays with wavelengths less than about 1 × 10 −11 metres to radio waves measured in metres. The main source of natural light on Earth is the Sun.

Understanding the Context

Historically, another important source of light for humans has been fire, from ancient campfires to modern kerosene lamps. With the development of electric lights and power systems, electric lighting has effectively replaced firelight. Is light a wave or a particle? How is it created?

Key Insights

And why can’t humans see the whole spectrum of light? All your questions answered. A red multiple-resonance molecule with fast reverse intersystem crossing functions as both emitter and sensitizer, enabling efficient Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with suppressed efficiency... But what exactly is light? We catch glimpses of its nature when a sunbeam angles through a dust-filled room, when a rainbow appears after a storm or when a drinking straw in a glass of water looks disjointed.

Final Thoughts

Light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave that can be seen by the typical human. The wave nature of light was first illustrated through experiments on diffraction and interference. The different colours of light have different wavelengths and frequencies. Red light has the longest wavelength, and the lowest frequency in the visible spectrum. These properties, however, define light, and they in turn tell us a lot about the objects that emit or reflect it. For light, the most fundamental property is the wavelength.