Can you compare this bizzare property of light to some situation so that I can understand it better?
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3Duplicate of Is the wave-particle duality a real duality?. Also, why did you feel the need to use four question marks? – ACuriousMind Nov 19 '15 at 16:36
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Possible duplicate of http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/40985/ – Nov 19 '15 at 16:37
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you might want to read this first and then ask more specific questions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality – Nov 19 '15 at 16:37
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It is always both - but one or other character may be less obvious in a given situation, as is nicely shown. In the answer to the question Which side of wave-particle duality to choose on a given situation"
My point is - a photon is never purely one or the other - but physics is all about "good approximations". But just like relativistic effects can be calculated at "ordinary" velocities ("how much heavier are you when you are doing 60 mph in a car"), so photons will sometimes be "very wave-like" and at other times "very particle-like".
But never purely, entirely so.
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I would say light sometimes ACTS like a wave but always acts like a particle. I love this subject and like many others I too find duality to be very unintuitive. Its not that I can't imagine something being two things at once its just that I wonder why we need the wave theory at all. I know that's blasphemous and I'm truely not trying to overtake this conversation or be argumentative. Like I said I love this subject and enjoy discussing it. If it shouldn't be discussed here please direct me to where I can thanks. Most articles and papers on the subject of duality claim that particles (photons) explain some aspects such as the photoelectric effect, individually registered photon impacts and many other phenomena but appeal to the wave theory to explain phenomena such as fringe patterns. Individual photon (particles) can easily explain fringe patterns (interference) and every other light phenomenon as I explain in this paper. https://singleedgecertainty.wordpress.com/ The wave theory has trouble with many aspects of light phenomena including just describing what a light wave actually is.
Bill Alsept
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