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4. A laser beam of energy can be all of the following EXCEPT

A. Invisible
B. Multicolored
C. A single color
D. Derived from an active medium (solid, liquid, or gas)
E. Travel through a substance without affecting the substance at all

1 Answer

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Final answer:

A laser beam cannot travel through a substance without affecting it since interactions, such as absorption, occur when the laser's wavelength matches energy spacings in the material's electron orbitals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The energy of a laser beam can manifest in several ways, but one option provided cannot be true. A laser beam cannot travel through a substance without affecting the substance at all. This is because as the laser beam interacts with materials, it can be absorbed or cause other reactions, especially if the material has electron orbitals with energy spacings that correlate to the wavelength of the laser. For instance, blood absorbs strongly in the UV because of hemoglobin's response to those specific wavelengths. Similarly, water, although transparent to visible light, will absorb UV and IR spectrums. Therefore, there is always some interaction between the laser beam and the substance it travels through.

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