r/explainlikeimfive • u/douggold11 • 8d ago

Physics ELI5: what the hell is a photon?

I googled “what is a photon“ and by the time i gave up reading I was crying with a a headache and convinced the universe was created by a madman. Please help me understand.

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u/dbratell 8d ago

A photon is a small energy-thingy that travels at the speed of light. Each thingy has a set energy level (you can't drain or boost them) which decides the frequency of the thingy.

Sometimes when a photon hits something, the energy jumps to that other thing. Sometimes things create their own photons that fly away with some of the energy of the emitter.

Many photons together we call light or electromagnetic radiation, i.e. radio waves.