Light

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to travel more slowly.
¨ This "slowing down" is accounted for by the index of refraction of the matter.
's properties can at first seem confusing and inconsistent because of
the unique nature of light: light has the properties of both a wave and a
particle. In some situations, light's behavior is more easily explained by
thinking of light as a particle. In other situations, its behavior can only be
explained if light is thought of as a wave. This duality of light between a
particle and a wave is very difficult if not impossible to visualize. Instead
it is much easier to see light demonstrate its properties in specific
situations.
Light as a Wave
Before the nineteenth century, the physics community was split over the
actual nature of light. Around 1800, Thomas Young devised an experiment
designed specifically to settle the debate over the nature of light once and
for all. The basic principle behind the experiment was how light would
behave when it encountered an ...

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