Final answer:
Heat and light from the sun reach Earth via radiation, which doesn't require a medium because it involves the transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves. These waves can travel through the vacuum of space, meaning they do not need matter to propagate. Radiation is the reason we can feel warmth from the sun despite the vast empty space between the Earth and the sun.
Step-by-step explanation:
Receiving heat and light from the sun does not require a medium because they are transferred through radiation. Radiation refers to the emission and propagation of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves, which can travel through the vacuum of space. The sun emits a range of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays, which reach Earth and are absorbed by our skin and other surfaces, providing warmth and light.
When light and heat travel from one medium to another, such as from air to water, they may undergo phenomena like refraction, reflection, and absorption, but in the vacuum of space, the electromagnetic energy emitted by a hot body like the sun can travel unimpeded, directly warming the Earth. Therefore, a medium is not needed for the sun's heat and light to reach us, making radiation the exclusive method of heat transfer that operates without a medium.