Here’s a riddle: What can be sharper than the sharpest razor and hotter than the hottest torch? What can patch a tiny hole in a human eye better than the most careful stitch? No, it is not Superman. Yes, it is a laser. Theodore Maiman created the first working laser in 1960.
At first, lasers had few uses. Today they are used in almost every area of modern life. In the operating room, doctors use lasers to cut tissue, destroy tumors, and erase scars. In supermarkets, laser scanners read price bar codes. Lasers track flying objects for the military. They can warn of earthquakes. And that’s just for starters.
