Don’t waves need a medium to travel through? Isn’t space just essentially empty? I know they’re electromagnetic waves, but what does that mean essentially?
Edit: Thanks for the response guys. From your response I’ve realised there’s no way to explain to a 5 year old how light works!
In: Physics
Simple ELI5 answer: Electromagnetism doesn’t require a medium
Complex ELI5 answer: EM *does* require a medium, but that medium is quantum fields which are part and parcel of space itself.
Most complete answer: read about 10 books on quantum electrodynamics and then shrug your shoulders because the minute we understand everything, we understand nothing about physical reality. When you’re utterly confused, that means you finally comprehend the incomprehensibly of it. Paraphrasing Richard Feynman, sometimes it just *is*…
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