A laser welder

  

Encarta
Microsoft's concise encyclopedia for kids and teens

sample articles by April Holladay

Please note: This work is copyrighted

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Fiber Optics, a branch of optics dealing with the transmission of light through hair-thin, transparent fibers. Light signals that enter at one end of a fiber travel through the fiber with very low loss of light, even if the fiber is curved. A basic fiber-optic system consists of a transmitting . . .

Laser , a device that produces and amplifies light. The word laser is an acronym for; Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser light is very pure in color, can be extremely intense, and can be directed with great accuracy. Lasers are used in many . . .

Solar Energy, radiation produced by nuclear fusion reactions deep in the Sun's core (see Nuclear Energy). The Sun provides almost all the heat and light Earth receives and therefore sustains every living being.

Solar energy travels to Earth through space in discrete packets of energy called photons (see Electromagnetic Radiation).

On the side of Earth facing the Sun, a square kilometer at the outer edge of our atmosphere receives 1,400 megawatts of solar power every minute, which is about the capacity of the largest electric-generating plant in Nevada. Only half of that amount, however, reaches . . .