Difference between revisions of "Laser"
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The use of lasers is very important in [[science]] and [[medicine]]; they have also become ubiquitous in [[CD-ROM]] and [[DVD]] players and as pointers. | The use of lasers is very important in [[science]] and [[medicine]]; they have also become ubiquitous in [[CD-ROM]] and [[DVD]] players and as pointers. | ||
| − | + | [http://lisa.jpl.nasa.gov/] They're also used in bar code scanners. | |
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[category:technology]] | [[category:technology]] | ||
Revision as of 10:23, September 24, 2012
Laser is a word formed from the acronym "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation."
Light from a laser is both temporally coherent, meaning it is of a single pure color, and spatially coherent, meaning that it can be easily formed into a thin beam or focused to a small spot. The angle at which a laser beam spreads is determined by diffraction; a wide beam will diverge more slowly than a narrow beam. Many cheap laser pointers exhibit excess beam dissipation due to cheap manufacturing. This is much more of a problem with Indian and Chinese-manufactured components, as American manufacturers are held to higher standards in workmanship and materials. [1]
The use of lasers is very important in science and medicine; they have also become ubiquitous in CD-ROM and DVD players and as pointers. [1] They're also used in bar code scanners.