Relationship between light and electricity

                            

Relationship between light and electricity

Light is an electromagnetic wave and is carried by a particle we call a proton. Electromagnetic waves are visible light, but also ultraviolet light, microwaves, radio waves, X-rays and other waves or rays, and heat, that we also call infrared light.

Electric energy is carried by electric charge, that is usually particles we call electrons.

We can make light from electricity in an easy way, using resistance. You know common lightbulbs? They use resistance, that is, a wire takes energy out of the electric flow and heats up until it starts to glow. It emits visible light and also infrared light, and that is heat, which is why lightbulbs get so warm.

Electromagnetic waves, that is photons, can give electrons energy, and they can be created when electrons loose energy. That is, for example, how radios work.

You know how an atom looks like? There's the positively charged kernel, and the negatively charged electrons outside. They have a certain distance to the kernel.

When an electron in an atom is bumped by a photon, it increases its distance. When it decreases its distance to the kernel, it gives off a photon. That is how lasers work.

But photons are also created when atoms split up, what we call radioactive decay. Then they are dangerous, because they have high energy and may hurt the molecules in your body.

Electromagnetic waves, that is photons, so light, radio waves, heat, etc., are a way to carry energy from one place to another. Electricity is one way to use, or create this energy.

And a nice thing to know is that electrically charged particles exchange photons to tell each other they are charged. This is how a proton knows to attract an electron and vice versa, and how two protons or two electrons know to push off each other. But here it gets really complicated. This is quantum mechanics.