Chapter 24, Problem 3Q

To determine

To Explain: The light is sometimes described as rays and sometimes as waves.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:Light is a wave that carries energy through matter or space. A light ray is a fine beam of light which travels in straight line.

Ray has one endpoint and also that goes on forever in one direction. A wave is a repeating disturbance that transfers energy through space or matter.

There are some particular situations where defining light as rays works well (i.e., lenses) while there are other situations where defining light as waves works well (i.e., diffraction).