It is commonly believed that light travels in a straight line, which is essentially correct. Light explores all paths between locations, Air Jordan 14s and the path of least resistance is Air Jordan 17s chosen, which is usually the straight line. Light wishes to travel in a method that will yield the shortest time, and this is always a straight line in a three dimensional universe and is in keeping with Fermat’s Principle of Least Time. The Least Time principle is always satisfied by a straight line in three dimensional, Euclidean space, but the problem is that this is not the only way of understanding the universe.

Einstein introduced the idea of four dimensional space, KOBE 9 a universe that is not fixed and is constantly changing. If Fermat’s Principle is used with this in mind, light then travels instead in a geodesic, which is a straight line but on a curved surface. Light itself is a wave, so the idea that it literally travels in a straight line is more of a explanation used for human understanding rather than the exact reality of the situation. In short, in traditional understandings of the universe that incorporate Euclidean ideas as to the nature of space, light does, without a doubt, travel literally in a straight line, unless the path of least resistance is no longer a straight line due to masses that stand stand in the light’s way (this explains refraction via water, etc.). However, adopting the tenets supported by Einstein and the theory of four dimensional space, which is now largely accepted, the shortest distance between two points rule still applies, but this shortest distance is no longer necessarily a straight line. This ties into Wave Theory of Light, a more recent theory in scientific circles.

Still, a straight line is a valid way to understand the way that light travels, irrespective of three dimensional or four dimensional Nike KD 7 space considerations, unless it is acted upon by an outside force or refracted in any way, such as gravity or electromagnetic forces, as may be seen when light passes close Air Jordan Women Size by a star or black hole. One simplified way of understanding how light can appear to travel in directly straight lines can be seen when considering shadows on a sunny day. If the day is partially cloudy, the shadows are blurry and indistinct, but on a fully sunny day when the light is not being refracted, shadows are defined.

Light travels in a straight line in a vacuum. Refraction is the bending of the light path that occurs at the interface.