Lasers are used in practically every major industry, from medicine and computers, to entertainment and construction. A power rating, usually in watts, determines the strength of the laser. Some lasers can cut through metal, while others merely read tiny bits of information without damaging the surface. Basically, the application of lasers can be divided into marking, etching, and cutting, or reading and scanning.

In the medical industry, carbon dioxide lasers are used in many types of surgery because they are more precise and sensitive than scalpels. Lasers remove tattoos without needing skin grafts, as well as painlessly clearing rot out of teeth. These less invasive lasers result in faster recuperation from surgeries such as removing certain tumors and correcting vision by reforming the eyeball lens. Damage to surrounding tissue, as well as bleeding, has been reduced by incorporating lasers.

Many common home or office devices house lasers as an intrinsic part of their performance. CD, DVD and Blu-Ray players use lasers to read the audio and video information on the disc, the way a needle used to read the groove of a record. CD, DVD and Blu-Ray recorders have stronger lasers that can burn the information onto the surface of the disc, either temporarily or permanently. Laser printers also utilize lasers to change a surface, in this case paper, to display text and graphics. Even at the grocery store, lasers scan the barcode on your packages to tell the computerized register what you're buying and how much it costs.

Lasers of the appropriate strength can etch surfaces from plastic to rock. Some companies inscribe a minute identification number on diamonds to keep track of them. Tombstones made of granite or limestone are carved with powerful lasers. Numerous metal pieces can be precisely cut out, drilled, and welded together to make a finished product using lasers capable of melting metal.

Even though the first laser was made in a laboratory back in 1960, it took several decades to apply this tool to various technologies. Now, lasers are indispensable to our daily lives. Visible lasers have even replaced strings, levels, and stakes in surveying equipment. Everyone should be treated to a laser show inside a planetarium, where colored lasers of all widths simulate the night sky.