Basic physics Q on light - why is visible light not effected bymagnetism?

Hi. There is one thing that I have always been confused about visible
light as an electromagnetic force. I understand light to be an
electromagnetic wave propagating through space with the the magnetic
and electro forces alternately collapsing and expanding. This
alternate fluctuations in the magnetica and electro force are seen as
the frequency of a light's wave.

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

- Canopus56

canopus56 wrote:
Hi. There is one thing that I have always been confused about visible
light as an electromagnetic force. I understand light to be an
electromagnetic wave propagating through space with the the magnetic
and electro forces alternately collapsing and expanding. This
alternate fluctuations in the magnetica and electro force are seen as
the frequency of a light's wave.

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

- Canopus56
In fact non of the EM waves, from lowest radio via light to
the highest gamma rays, are bent by a magnetic field.
If you want to bent them, use a lens, reflector or gravity.
A black hole is very useful for bending all sorts of rays.

On Nov 28, 5:31 pm, Sjouke Burry
wrote:
canopus56 wrote:
Hi. There is one thing that I have always been confused about visible
light as an electromagnetic force. I understand light to be an
electromagnetic wave propagating through space with the the magnetic
and electro forces alternately collapsing and expanding. This
alternate fluctuations in the magnetica and electro force are seen as
the frequency of a light's wave.

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

- Canopus56

In fact non of the EM waves, from lowest radio via light to
the highest gamma rays, are bent by a magnetic field.
If you want to bent them, use a lens, reflector or gravity.
A black hole is very useful for bending all sorts of rays.

Which begs the question: why are photons bandied-about as if they
were discrete particles (and radio waves are not so treated), having
zero rest mass (as if it's even possible for light to be standing
still),
etc.

"Sjouke Burry" wrote in message
...
canopus56 wrote:
Hi. There is one thing that I have always been confused about visible
light as an electromagnetic force. I understand light to be an
electromagnetic wave propagating through space with the the magnetic
and electro forces alternately collapsing and expanding. This
alternate fluctuations in the magnetica and electro force are seen as
the frequency of a light's wave.

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

- Canopus56
In fact non of the EM waves, from lowest radio via light to
the highest gamma rays, are bent by a magnetic field.
If you want to bent them, use a lens, reflector or gravity.
A black hole is very useful for bending all sorts of rays.

Tough to carry around in your pocket, though.

John Nichols wrote:
"Sjouke Burry" wrote in message
...
canopus56 wrote:
Hi. There is one thing that I have always been confused about visible
light as an electromagnetic force. I understand light to be an
electromagnetic wave propagating through space with the the magnetic
and electro forces alternately collapsing and expanding. This
alternate fluctuations in the magnetica and electro force are seen as
the frequency of a light's wave.

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

- Canopus56
In fact non of the EM waves, from lowest radio via light to
the highest gamma rays, are bent by a magnetic field.
If you want to bent them, use a lens, reflector or gravity.
A black hole is very useful for bending all sorts of rays.

Tough to carry around in your pocket, though.

"Is that an apo black hole in your, scope or just an achro?
:-)


Shawn

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:43:45 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Which begs the question: why are photons bandied-about as if they
were discrete particles (and radio waves are not so treated), having
zero rest mass (as if it's even possible for light to be standing
still),
etc.

Because it is often convenient. We have detectors that can record single
photons with energies in the optical range. We can't generally detect
single photons with radio energies. That doesn't mean that radio
waves/particles don't exhibit the same kind of duality, though.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

Chris L Peterson wrote:

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:43:45 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:


Which begs the question: why are photons bandied-about as if they
were discrete particles (and radio waves are not so treated), having
zero rest mass (as if it's even possible for light to be standing
still),
etc.


Because it is often convenient. We have detectors that can record single
photons with energies in the optical range. We can't generally detect
single photons with radio energies. That doesn't mean that radio
waves/particles don't exhibit the same kind of duality, though.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

the other thing is magnetic fields polorize the light. we have
information about the magnetic field of the galaxy because of this
characteristic. none of this is simple

josephus
--
I go sailing in the Summer and
look at STARS in the Winter.
"Everybody is igernant, jist on differt subjects"
Will Rogers Jr.
"it aint what you know that gets you in trouble
it is what you know that aint so"
Josh Billings.

On Nov 28, 6:19 pm, canopus56 wrote:

What I don't get is why visible light is not then bent by magnetic
fields? What I am missing here?

Why aren't radio waves affected by magnetic fields?

Magnetic fields pull on chunks of iron because what happens in that
case is that two generators of magnetism pull on each other.

But the magnetic field of a radio wave just adds to the magnetic field
of a magnet to produce the resulting field at a place where both are
present. Light is another form of electromagnetic radiation.

So, if you shine a flashlight on a magnet, you don't expect the light
to bend. You expect the flashlight to start vibrating. And maybe it
does, very quickly and very weakly.

John Savard

Quadibloc:
So, if you shine a flashlight on a magnet...

If I shine a flashlight on a magnet I expect the light to stick to the
magnet.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig *dawt* com

josephus wrote in
:

Chris L Peterson wrote:

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:43:45 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:


Which begs the question: why are photons bandied-about as if they
were discrete particles (and radio waves are not so treated), having
zero rest mass (as if it's even possible for light to be standing
still),
etc.


Because it is often convenient. We have detectors that can record single
photons with energies in the optical range. We can't generally detect
single photons with radio energies. That doesn't mean that radio
waves/particles don't exhibit the same kind of duality, though.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

the other thing is magnetic fields polorize the light. we have
information about the magnetic field of the galaxy because of this
characteristic. none of this is simple

But that is an effect on the matter emitting the light, not on the light
itself.


josephus