The sun - Flat Disc??

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edlloyd

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« on: February 11, 2007, 06:51:27 AM »
If the sun was a flat disc with a diameter of 32miles?

Would this not only illuminate a circulated area on the earth with a diameter of 32miles?

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Vetsin

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2007, 07:11:48 AM »
No, take a desk lamp. Is the area on the wall light up the same diameter as the desk lamp? I think not.

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edlloyd

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2007, 07:16:51 AM »
Quote from: "Vetsin"
No, take a desk lamp. Is the area on the wall light up the same diameter as the desk lamp? I think not.


It's a sphere though a desk lamp...well it aint flat thats for sure.

A laser is not a sphere, in illuminiates its circumfrence, which is what a flat disc sun would do.

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Vetsin

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2007, 07:23:49 AM »
A light bulb is indeed 3 dimensional, but light travels both in the form of waves and particles. As they travel in waves, they spread outwards much like sound does. This being so, it does not matter if the surface is flat it will still cover a larger area than the sun itself.

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edlloyd

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2007, 07:28:50 AM »
Quote from: "Vetsin"
A light bulb is indeed 3 dimensional, but light travels both in the form of waves and particles. As they travel in waves, they spread outwards much like sound does. This being so, it does not matter if the surface is flat it will still cover a larger area than the sun itself.


so why does a laser differ then?

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Vetsin

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The sun - Flat Disc??
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2007, 07:35:22 AM »
Laser light is amplified in a way that stimulates the emission so that it is similar in wavelength, phase, and polarization. This can be explained by quantum mechanics; but these three traits allow the light to have a coherence to form a beam which is a laser.