Light behaves as both a wave and a particle, a concept known as wave-particle duality. As a wave, it can travel through different mediums, such as air and water, and can bend or refract when passing from one medium to another. This bending of light is responsible for phenomena like rainbows and the distortion of objects underwater. As a particle, light is made up of tiny packets called photons. These photons carry energy and can interact with matter, leading to effects like reflection and absorption. This interaction is what allows us to see, as our eyes detect the light reflected off surfaces.