Explain Like I'm Five

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ELI5 How data can be transferred by a laser or beam? (self.explainlikeimfive)

submitted 12 hours ago by Patnou to c/explainlikeimfive

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Remember reading an article a while back where they said they did it. Can't find it but never really explained how it is even possible or how or why someone said look light lets put some data in itl

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[–] Patnou 2 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I may be going out on a limb but something tells me we are far off from like transmitting a whole book and storing it in light or beam?

[–] Rhynoplaz 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

There's no storage in light.

Think about when you talk. The sound comes out, shoots through the air, goes in someone's ear, and then they interpret and remember what you said.

The light is your voice. It is transmitting data, but if there's nobody around to hear it, the data is lost.

The light has to hit a receiver, which translates it into usable data and then saves it to a storage device.

[–] donuts 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

mm I like this, you made it sound so simple!

[–] Rhynoplaz 2 points 10 hours ago

Thanks! I'm a simple person who is interested in complex things, so I think I've gotten pretty good at these kinds of analogies.