Ask Marilyn ® by Marilyn vos Savant is a column in Parade Magazine, published by PARADE, 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA. According to Parade, Marilyn vos Savant is listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame" for "Highest IQ."
In her Parade Magazine column of August 4, 1996, Marilyn is asked to explain the "source and nature of a laser beam."
Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser beam is a narrow, intense beam of coherent light; that is, light of a single wavelength (pure color) in a synchronized (like a marching band) beam. A laser beam is produced by adding energy (such as light or electricity) to a substance (such as a helium-neon gas mixture) to stimulate and amplify the production of light (a form of radiation).