The streaming of light beams coming from the Sun through trees is said to have suggested that light travels in straight line. The particles on the path of light beams are visible to us because

The correct answer is dust particles in the air scatter light into our eyes.

Key Points

• When sunlight enters a dusty room through the window, its path becomes visible to us.
  • Small dust particles present in the air of the room scatter rays of light around the room.
  • This is called the Tyndall effect.
• The flow of light rays through the trees that you see is due to the scattering of light.
• Particles in the atmosphere, such as dust, water droplets, and air molecules, scatter sunlight in different directions.
• This scattering effect is more pronounced for shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue and violet, which is why the sky appears blue during the day.

Additional Information

• Light can travel in both medium and vacuum. But there will be no such particle in a vacuum that light cannot collide with and be reflected.
  • Light in the air can be reflected after hitting dust or some other particle, so light in the air is visible.
  • Light can be considered as waves.
  • Light waves travel in different wavelengths and depending on the wavelength, different light has different colors.
• Polarization of light is a property exhibited by transverse waves.
  • Light waves that travel in only one plane are called polarized light waves.
  • The process of converting unpolarized light waves into polarized light waves is called polarization of light.