You're telling me that because
electromagnetic waves obey their own
properties, we can prevent the spread of
COVID-19 and heat up my burrito?
Tell me more! Electromagnetic radiation
is a form of energy that includes light.
It's one of the most unique forces in
our universe, as it seemingly contradicts
the laws of physics. I'll demonstrate:
when I cross the beams of these two
flashlights, they don't interact in any
way, proving that light has no mass. So
if light has no mass, it must not have
energy. But wait! If you've ever gotten a
sunburn or ignited wood with a
magnifying glass,
you know light must have energy! Not to
mention, you and I literally would not
exist if not for light's special energy,
which is the food source for all life at
the bottom of the food web. Clearly,
electromagnetic radiation is a rebel in
the world of physics, which gives it its
unique energy despite being massless! Now
Why would that be? The answer lies in
light's wave particle duality. That is, it
interacts with the world both as a wave
and a particle, yet it is actually
neither. When I shine this laser pointer
through two open slits, I would expect to see
two slits of light. Yet this is what
happens instead. Here, we observe light as
a wave. As the beam meets the slits, a new
wave is formed at each opening. They
collide and form this interference
pattern. Similarly, electromagnetic
radiation can behave like a particle. If
I shine this energetic light at a
metal, electrons are emitted. But using a
low-energy light, it is impossible to
cause electron emission, no matter how
much light I shine. This shows light as a
particle, since its energy can't combine,
unlike in the laser's interference
pattern. Rather, the energy comes in
discrete packets called "photons." So we
have electromagnetic radiation's wave
particle duality to thank for all life
on earth! But why would these revelations
protect us from viruses like COVID-19?
Amazingly, each of light's energy levels
have different properties and hence
different uses. Microwaves are the
perfect wave length to create
intermolecular friction in your food,
thus heating it.
X-rays are just the right size to
penetrate your skin and organs, but not
your bones. Even the Wi-Fi you're using
right now is simply a frequency of
electromagnetic radiation. So what if we
could take something like UV light—and
instead of it burning our skin and
causing cancer—utilize its potential to
eliminate pathogens using the same
unique energy. In fact, far UVC, a
specific wavelength, can't pass through
human skin and eyes but can still kill
viruses and bacteria. Just imagine
household lights filled with a weapon
that literally blasts COVID-19! By
looking past what we can easily see, we
tap into the power of the universe at
both microscopic and massive levels. Only
a fraction of a percent of
electromagnetic radiation is visible as
light. But by looking a little further
than what meets the eye, we hold the
power to see in new ways and discover
not just health and technology
advancements, but the amazing universe in
which we reside. Thanks for letting me
shed some light on this topic.
