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Ellis Abel Learns.

In my own words

Why I love lasers

An optical bench in the Laser Optics Laboratory at Ames Research Center, crowded with mirrors, lenses and beam paths. Real NASA photograph used on the Ellis Abel Learns "Why I Love Lasers" page.
An optical bench in the Laser Optics Laboratory at Ames Research Center, crowded with mirrors, lenses and beam paths. NASA · Public domain
  • The light goes in one straight line and stays there.
  • It can cut metal or read a disc.
  • All the light waves are marching together.

What it really is

A laser makes light waves that all line up, so the beam stays tight.

Three things to try today

  1. Shine a flashlight and a laser pointer at a wall far away.
  2. Compare the size of the spots.
  3. Say why they are different.
Researcher Dana Lynch works at the laser optics bench in the Laser Optics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center. Real NASA photograph used on the Ellis Abel Learns "Why I Love Lasers" page.
Researcher Dana Lynch works at the laser optics bench in the Laser Optics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center. NASA · Public domain

For the grown-up reading this

Coherence explained with two spots on a wall. No equations needed.

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