Question

Light is a form of
A. Energy
B. Wave
C. Both energy and wave
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Light is a non-materialistic entity that exists in nature and is capable of doing work. Light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye and it is a stream of photons.

Complete step by step answer:
Imagine the world without light. Starting from the broad daylight that we receive from the sun to the moon light that we get in the night, along with the other artificial sources of light such as bulbs, our life is entwined with the existence of light. Without light, our existence would definitely be different.
Let us take an example to understand more about light. In solar water heaters, we have seen that the water in the tank gets heated up because of the light that falls on the panels. This means that the kinetic energy of the water molecules in the tank increases. We have learnt that if kinetic energy of a system increases then work is being done on that system. So we can conclude that light from the sun is doing work on the water in the heater and making it hot.
Since light is capable of doing work we can conclude that light is a form of energy.
Also, light undergoes few phenomena that are associated with waves such as reflection, refraction, interference and diffraction. Here light is considered to be a form of wave. Thus we can say that light is a form of energy that propagates in the form of waves.
Therefore the correct choice of answer would be Option C.

Note:Since light is a form of energy, it can be converted to other forms of energy. Light is a transverse wave not a longitudinal wave because the light waves are perpendicular to the direction of their propagation. Be careful with the definitions.