Light and Waves

Making a color wheel

White light is a mixture of all the colors in the rainbow! Make a color wheel to show this
Full Circle = 360 Each Piece = 360/3
Use a protractor to measure each slice!

What can we learn from a Prism?

Prism- A device that splits light into its components.
Things that can act as a Prism:
CD Crystal Spectroscope

Light is a type of wave

Kind of More on that later- maybe

Waves: A disturbance that carries energy from one place to another.

Medium: What waves travel through Types of waves:
Water Waves Sound Waves Electromagnetic Waves Seismic Waves

Parts of a Wave.

Wavelength: Distance between crests or troughs of a series of waves.

Crest: High Point of a Wave Trough: Low Point of a Wave

Amplitude: Maximum Distance particles distrubed by a wave move from their rest position.

More on Waves
Wave Frequency: Number of Complete Waves that pass a fixed point per second.
Measured in Hertz (HZ)

Wave Speed: How far a wave travels in a certain amount of time.

Frequency times Wavelength

Visible light is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum which stimulates the retina of the human eye.

Visible spectrum wavelengths range from about 400 nm (violet) to 760 nm (red).
Light travels at about 3 x 108 m/s through empty space and slightly slower through air.

WHITE light is composed of all colors.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet is the order of increasing frequency or decreasing wavelength.

Frequencies directly above this spectrum are

ultraviolet. infrared.

Frequencies directly below this spectrum are

Light is just one type.

COLOR
Materials may be classified as: transparent - readily transmits light; translucent - transmits, but diffuses, light; opaque - transmits no light;

can clearly see objects through them

cannot see objects clearly through them cannot see through them

What is color?
Our eyes detect colors that are reflected off a surface...

Testing Effect of Color on Energy Absorption

Which color background do you predict will cause the most rapid absorption of heat? Why?