// incomplete pocket dictionary of light \
Electromagnetic source — something involving two fields meeting, fields whose components move continuously and at perfect right angles. Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. The other three: strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and gravity.
Gauge boson — carrier of such a fundamental force.
Photon — the gauge boson of electromagnetism. A force carrier, then. A photon ripples through space with the perpendicularity mentioned earlier. But toward what?
Light-year — light travels at 300,000 kilometers per second. A regular year consists of 31,536,000 seconds (a lot, but also not that much. For reference: Elon Musk owns 342,000,000,000 dollars, which is 10,845 times the number of seconds in a year. So much more. He wins, big man.). Put it all together and you realize a photon travels 9,460,800,000,000 kilometers in one year. (During a leap year, of course, things are different. That one has 31,622,400 seconds, I invite you to do the math.)
Oscillation — a waving, a swinging up, a springing motion, a repeated back-and-forth of mass and energy. A photon oscillates too. It moves along with the electromagnetic fields.
Direction of propagation — the direction of velocity. Uh. The course along which a photon waves. The destination it’s heading toward. Not the bumpy road it takes to get there.
From February 12 through 15, the festival Beyond the Black Box takes place at Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam. The light of Vinny Jones’ Blue Beyond the Black Box moves through the building on Thursday February 12 and Friday February 13.