Laser

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/laser

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the theoretical foundation?Einstein's theory of stimulated emission (1917)
2. What is the first practical laser developer?Theodore Maiman
3. What is a laser and how does it work?A laser is a special kind of light that is very bright and focused. It works by exciting atoms so they give off identical light, creating a strong, straight beam.
4. Why do lasers cut metal or read barcodes?Because the laser beam is very powerful and precise, it can melt or cut metal and can scan tiny patterns on a barcode quickly.

Population Inversion: A condition where more atoms are in an excited state than in a lower energy state.
Optical Cavity: A system of mirrors used to reflect light back and forth, amplifying it.
Monochromatic: Emitting or consisting of light of a single wavelength or color.