💡6.1 What is light?

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What is light?
Light is a transverse wave that transfers energy which does not require a
medium to travel. It is similar to infrared radiation or heat in many ways.
Shadows
Shadows are formed when an obstruction blocks out light from a specific
area. This forms a darker patch at that point. This is because light travels in
straight paths.
There are 2 types of shadows: umbra and penumbra.

An umbra is formed when the light source is small, this is a full shadow with
sharp edges.

6.1 What is light? 1

 A penumbra is formed when the light source is larger, this is a partial shadow
with blurred edges.
Cameras
In a camera, light is reflected off an object and goes into the camera and
forms an image.
In a pinhole camera, light from the bottom of object forms the top of the
image and light from the top of the object forms the bottom of the image. A
dull image is formed at the back of the camera.
Modern cameras use CCDs to store these images digitally.

6.1 What is light? 2

 👀6.2 How do we see things?
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Light journeys
Light travels from a source to a detector. It may take a journey before it
reaches:
If the light passes through an object we say that it is transmitted.
If the light is given out by an object we say that the light is emitted.
If the light is bounced off an object we say that it is reflected.
If the light is not transmitted or reflected but stays inside the object, we
say that it
is absorbed. Absorbing light makes the object heat up a bit.)
Materials interacting with light
You can see through clear glass. Glass is described as transparent.
Frosted glass lets light through, but you cannot see through it. Frosted
glass is described as translucent.
Bricks do not let light through them. They are described as opaque.
Light intensity
Light intensity can be measured in lux. Lux is the measure of how much light is
hitting a certain area per second.

6.2 How do we see things? 1

 Light also spreads out as it move away from the source, this reduces the light
intensity and causes the source to look dimmer. Some may think that the light
has been lost, however it has just spread out.
Seeing things
Objects that give out light are luminous those that don't are non-luminous.
They can only be seen because light is reflected off them into your eyes.

The eye
The eye is the body’s camera. If you look at a tree, the light from the sun is
reflected off the tree into your eye. The light enters your eye through the pupil.
It is focused on the back of your eye by the cornea (the transparent the outer
layer of the eye) and the lens (a small sack of jelly-like material). The image of
the tree is formed at the back of your eye on the retina, where cells called
rods and cones absorb the light. Rods are mainly around the edge of the retina
and are sensitive to dim light. Cones are mainly found in the center of the
retina and they are sensitive to bright light and color.
The rods and cones convert the light into a signal that is sent to the brain
along the optic nerve. Like the image on a camera screen, the image on the
retina is inverted. Your brain sorts it out so that you see things the right way
up.

6.2 How do we see things? 2

 🔦6.3 The speed of light
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The speed of light
The speed of light is the fastest speed that there is: 300 million m/s
Light years
Since the distance between celestial bodies is so large, it is measured in light-
years rather than km. A light-year is the distance light would travel in 1 year
which is approx. 9 000 000 000 000 km.
Since light takes time to travel from faraway bodies, we see them as they
were when the light was emitted/reflected. Which means that we see the sun
as it was 8 minutes ago.

6.3 The speed of light 1

 6.4 Reflection
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Reflection
A plane mirror creates a reflection called an image. It is the right way up, the
same size, and the same colour as the object.
There is nothing behind the mirror – no light can get through it. We say that
the image is virtual
Images that are projected onto a screen are called real images. The image in a
pinhole camera is also real.
A mirror image is also laterally inverted.
How is the image in a mirror formed?

6.4 Reflection 1
 When rays of light from the object hit a plane mirror they bounce off the
mirror, that is they undergo reflection, and appear to originate from behind the
mirror, resulting in the formation of a virtual image.
Types of reflection
There are two types of reflection
based on the smoothness of the
surface being reflected off:
1. Specular /Regular reflection:
Reflection off a smooth surface.
This produces a clear image
because all the light rays are
reflected in the same direction.
2. Diffuse reflection: Reflection off
a rough surface. This may
produce a very blurred image or
no image at all since the light
rays are reflected in different
directions.

6.4 Reflection 2
 6.5 Making measurements:
the law of reflection
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The Law of reflection
The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is always equal to
the angle of reflection (i=r).
The angle of incidence(i) is the angle between the incident ray( light from
source) and the normal.
The angle of reflection(r) is between the reflected ray(reflected light) and
the normal.
The normal is a line drawn perpendicular to the surface being reflected at
the point of incidence.

6.5 Making measurements: the law of reflection 1

6.5 Making measurements: the law of reflection 2
 6.6 Refraction: air and water
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What is refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a light ray passing from one medium to
another. This is due to the different densities of different materials. Higher
density objects cause light to slow down.
The change of direction happens at the boundary, or interface, between the
mediums.
The angle between the normal and the ray reaching the
boundary is the angle of incidence. The angle between
the ray and the normal on the other side of the boundary
is the angle of refraction. If the light goes from a less
dense medium to a more dense medium the direction of
the ray will move towards the normal and vice-versa for
movement between a less to more dense medium.
Refraction explains why something looks shallower than
it actually is. Light is reflected off an object at the
bottom and travels to the surface.
It changes direction when it travels into the air.
When light reaches your eye, your brain assumes that
it has traveled in a straight line. This makes your brain
think that light has come from where you see the image.

6.6 Refraction: air and water 1

 The depth that the rock
appears to be is called the apparent depth, which is
shallower than the actual depth.
Refractive index
Refractive index is the measure for how much a material
slows down or how much light bends in the material. It is
denoted by 'n'. It does not have a unit. The lower the
refractive index the less light is slowed down.
c speed of light in vacuum
n= , refractive index =
v speed of light in the medium

6.6 Refraction: air and water 2

 6.7 Refraction: air and glass
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Total internal reflection

When light travels from a more dense substance into a less dense substance,
the angle of refraction is bigger than the angle of incidence.
As the angle of incidence increases, so does the angle of refraction.
Eventually, the angle of refraction reaches 90°. The angle of incidence at
this point is called the critical angle.
When the angle of incidence increases further to be larger than this critical
angle, then all the light is reflected back into the glass or water. The
refracted ray does not come out into the air again. This is called total
internal reflection.

6.7 Refraction: air and glass 1

6.7 Refraction: air and glass 2
 6.8 Dispersion
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Splitting light
If a ray of white light shines into a rectangular block of glass it will change
direction or refract. We see a ray of white light entering and leaving the block
however if the ray of light is shone into a triangular piece of glass, called a
prism, it slows down, but when the incident ray hits the side of the prism at a
particular angle, the light emerging from the prism is split into colours, called a
spectrum. This is called dispersion. Rainbows use a water droplet as a prism
when it is formed. The colours of the spectrum are:
red The spectrum can also be recombined using 2 prisms from
orange white light into the spectrum and back into white light.
yellow
green
blue
indigo
violet

6.8 Dispersion 1
 Explaining dispersion
A wave can be described by its frequency or wavelength. Light behaves
like a wave. The different colours of light all have different wavelengths
and different frequencies. Each colour is refracted by a different amount
depending on its frequency. Higher frequencies such as violet are refracted
more than lower frequencies such as red.

6.8 Dispersion 2
 🎨6.9 Colour
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The primary colors
You can make all the colours of light with three primary colours. The primary
colours are red, green, and blue. If you combine any two of the three colours
you get a secondary colour. It is not possible to make red, green, or blue light
using any combination of other colours. If you mix all three primary colours of
light you get white light:
Red and green light make yellow light.
Green and blue light make cyan light.
Red and blue light make magenta light.
Color subtraction
A filter absorbs some colours of light and transmits
others. If you shine white light through a red filter,
the filter will only let red light through. Red light is
transmitted and all the other colours are absorbed.
The filter has taken away all the other colours
except red.
This means that the light you see through a filter
will be dimmer than the light without the filter
because some light has been absorbed. If you shine
6.9 Colour 1
 red light through a green filter, then no light will get
through. If you look through the red and green filter
together you will see black. Your brain perceives no
light as black.
Your eye and color
The eye can detect different colours of light because of light-sensitive cells in
the retina called cones. The cones absorb the light and send a signal to your
brain.
Your brain processes the signals and produces the image that you see. The
human eye can distinguish between thousands or millions of different colors.
Some people have cones that do not work properly and they don’t see colors
accurately. About 1 in 20 people (usually men) have a form of color blindness.

6.9 Colour 2
 🎨6.10 Presenting conclusions:
more on colour
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Colour subtraction
All colored objects absorb some colors of light and reflect some:
A red object will absorb all colors except red and will reflect red color to
appear red. This is the same for other primary and secondary colors.
A white object will not absorb any light and reflect all colors of light to
appear white.
A black object will not reflect any light and absorb all colors of light to
appear black.
The primary colours in science RGB are different from those in art which are
red, blue, and yellow. Red paint, similar to a red object will absorb all colours
except red and reflect red light, acting like a colour filter.
However, unlike in light, where if you mix all the colours you achieve white, if
you mix all the colours of paint you will achieve a black colour.
Coloured objects reflect the colours that they are. If the light shining on the
object contains one or more of those colours, then that is the colour that you
see. If the light shining on the object does not contain any of those colours,
then it will look black. This is the case for both primary and secondary colours.

6.10 Presenting conclusions: more on colour 1

6.10 Presenting conclusions: more on colour 2
 6.12 Lasers
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Lasers
A LASER( Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation)
produces a narrow beam of light. Lasers produce light that is only one colour.
We say that it is monochromatic. The light from a laser can be powerful
enough to melt metal, but low-powered lasers are also very useful.
Unlike ordinary light, the light waves in
a laser are all in step. This means that
it is possible to make a laser beam
that is very powerful.
Uses of lasers
In Industries, they can be used to cut
through metals or weld metals
together. They can also be used to cut
through wood and fabric
To store and read data, they can be
used in the creation of CDs, DVDs and
Blu-ray discs to store and read data in
them. They can also be used in
barcode scanners to read barcodes.

6.12 Lasers 1
 In medicine, they can be used to
correct eyesight by reshaping the
cornea or welding the retina. They can
also be used as a scalpel to accurately
cut through tissue.

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