Are laser pointers real lasers?

Question

I know this might seem like a stupid question, but I'm curious. Are they real lasers or just normal red lights?

Thanks. :)

Answer 1

Yes they are a real laser, just a red light would not be able to travel the distance and have the intensity that a laser pointer has, also you may want to read the side of the pointer, it has a warning on it not to point it at you or anyone elses eyes.  If you think they are just a bright light go ahead and shine it in your own eyes and see what hapens.

Answer 2

Steves is correct !

Answer 3

It seems hardly possible, but they're really real lasers.  They pump the electrons back and forth and release them as a "laser beam" which hangs together quite well at a distance.

I remember when they invented lasers in the 1960's.   (And they were as big as a building).  There wasn't a thing anybody could do with these new fangled things!  Now our civilization wouldn't work without them - they pump all our telephone calls down glass cable plus all sort of other mind numbing jobs.

Quite a world changing invention.

Answer 4

Yes they are.  Very low power, but they are lasers.

Answer 5

Red lights.  Although...it would be uber cool if they could like...chop someone's head off or something...or...use it as a light saber...hmm...

Answer 6

oh heavens no, if they were people will get killed with all the pointing and stuff, its just a red beam of light ;)

Answer 7

Laser stands for "Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation". This mouthfull implies that a single photon released from the active laser cavity will trigger the release of several photons from suitably excited particles, and that those photons will be in phase, colinear, and mono chromatic. A laser pointer does work along those principle, that is why its beam is so narrow. Laser pointers are real lasers.