red light is like feathers whereas ultraviolet is like bullets

Categories: Comparisons

An example of analogy in popular science writing:

"Einstein explained this as follows: Light consists of lumps of energy, but the amount of energy in each lump depends on the frequency of the light. So, a lump of red light is smaller (i.e., contains less energy) than a lump of blue light. A lump of blue light is smaller than a lump of ultraviolet light. Shining red light on a substance, therefore, is akin to bombarding your face with feathers. If a hundred feathers blew into your face, you could brush them off with little difficulty. Shining ultraviolet on something is equivalent to firing bullets at it. A single bullet will do far more damage than a hundred feathers. In the same way, a few particles of ultraviolet light will generate far more electric current that a large number of red-light particles."

Paul Sen (2022) Einstein's Fridge. The science of fire, ice and the universe. William Collins.

Read about analogy in science

Read examples of scientific analogies

Many examples of science analogies are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.