Light's behavior seems counterintuitive. That is, until you figure out light is a wave. The way light behaves can seem very counterintuitive, and many physicists would agree with that, but once you ...

Classical physics theories suggest that when two or more electromagnetic waves interfere destructively (i.e., with their electric fields canceling each other out), they cannot interact with matter. In ...

We've learned about light and how to bend it to our will. But what can we LEARN from it? Light is everywhere … but it’s not as predictable as you might think. It’s a wave that travels in straight ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. This article is more than 4 years old. Light is well known to exhibit ...

The interference of sound waves is not just of academic interest. For instance, it is the operating principle of noise-cancelling headphones. These create their own sound vibrations, which are tuned ...