Book 13, Question 101
Why Does a Laser Pointer Make a Tiny Dot Instead of a Wide Beam?
A laser pointer makes a tiny dot because its light is very organized! All of it is one color and travels together in the same direction, unlike a flashlight's wide cone. Never point a laser at anyone's eyes.
More fun facts
- Lasers make a narrow beam of light.
- All the light waves in a laser beam have very similar wavelengths.
- Laser light stays focused and does not spread out much, unlike a flashlight.
- Because it stays focused, a laser beam can travel very long distances.
- A laser dot can look grainy and sparkly; this is called laser speckle.
- Never look into a laser or point one at someone's eyes.
Sources: NASA Space Place, Exploratorium
Questions kids ask
What is laser speckle?
A grainy, shifting pattern you can see in a laser dot.