A more massive object changes its motion more slowly in response to a given force. A more powerful world-view, applying equally well to both light and matter , is provided by the conservation laws, for instance the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can never be destroyed or created but only changed from one form into another. 3 Vibrations and Waves Light is a wave. We learn how waves travel through space, pass through each other, speed up, slow down, and are reflected. 4 Electricity and Magnetism Matter is made out of particles such as electrons and protons, which are held together by electrical forces.
Light is a wave that is made out of patterns of electric and magnetic force.
Until the twentieth century, physicists thought that matter was made out of particles and light was purely a wave phenomenon. We now know that both light and matter are made of building blocks that have both particle and wave properties. In the process of understanding this apparent contradiction, we find that the universe is a much stranger place than Newton had ever imagined, and also learn the basis for such devices as lasers and computer chips. All rights reserved.