Light Notes - For Y8

What is light?
Light is produced by the Sun,

and by objects such as light
bulbs and matches.
Light carries energy

and travels as a wave.
Light travels at a speed of

300,000,000 metres per
second, which is much faster
than the speed of sound.
Light waves travel in

straight lines.
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Light energy
Light is a form of energy and can be changed from one form
into another.
Light energy can be used to make other useful forms of energy.
It can be converted into electrical energy in a solar cell or
chemical energy in the leaves of plants.
solar cell plants

Properties of Light
Light travels in straight lines:
Laser
• Why do we see lightning before we
hear thunder?

Light travels much faster than sound. For example:
1) Thunder and lightning

start at the same time,
but we will see the
lightning first.
2) When a starting pistol

is fired we see the
smoke first and then
hear the bang.
Light travels VERY FAST – around
300,000 kilometres per second.
At this speed it can

go around the world 8
times in one second.
Luminous
An object that gives out light is described as luminous.
How does light from a luminous object such as a light bulb
reach the eye?
Light travels in a
straight line directly
into the eye.
Make a list of 5
objects that are
luminous
LUMOS!

Non-luminous
Make a list of 5
objects that are
non- luminous
An object that does not give out light is non-luminous.

How does your eye see a non-luminous object such as
a comb?
Light hits the comb

and some of it is
reflected into the eye.

Luminous and non-luminous?
Luminous Non-Luminous
sun moon
candle tree
bulb table
torch book
moon sun candle
torch bulb
tree table
book
How do we see colors?
The colors of objects are determined by the light that is not

absorbed but is reflected by the objects.
All other colors of light striking the object are absorbed by

the object.

How do we see colors?
A red object, for example, reflects

red color of light and absorbs all
other colors.
A white object reflects most of the

light shining on it.
A dark object absorbs most of the

light shining on it, so the lack of
light is what we ‘see’ as dark or
black.

Look at the clothes below.
What colour light is reflected by these clothes?
© Boardworks Ltd 2003

Opaque: no light will
pass through
Transparent: all or
most of the light
passes through
Translucent: some
light passes through

Examples of
Opaque: wood, metal

and thick paper
Transparent: Air,
glass, and water
Translucent: waxed
paper and frosted
glass
Hand shadows

Do you know how a
shadow is formed?

How shadows are formed?
Shadows are dark areas where something blocks out light.
Shadows are formed because light travels in straight lines

and does not bend round corners.
So if something is in the its path the light is blocked, as a

result shadows are formed.

Shadows—the Umbra and the Penumbra
Light from the Sun and other wide sources cast

shadows with two distinct parts.
Shadows—the Umbra and the
Penumbra (cont.)
• The umbra is the central, darker part

of a shadow where light is totally blocked.
• The penumbra is the lighter part of a shadow where
light is partially blocked.
Solar Eclipses
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon

appears to cover the Sun completely. You
can only see a total solar eclipse from within the
Moon’s umbra.
Lunar Eclipses
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into
Earth’s shadow.
Properties of Light summary
1) Light travels in straight lines
2) Light travels much faster than sound
3) We see things because they reflect light
into our eyes
4) Shadows are formed when light is blocked
by an object
5) The colour of objects is determined by
the light which they reflect.
What are the similarities between these pictures? What are the
differences?
Pinhole camera
A pinhole camera is a very simple camera. It is a box with a
very small hole at the front made with a pin.
At the back is a translucent screen where you can see the
image.
The image is not very bright because only a small amount
of light get through the hole.
How image is formed in pinhole camera
The light from the top of the object forms the bottom of the
image. The image is upside down or inverted.
Light intensity or brightness
Light level or intensity

of light or brightness is
measured using a
lightmeter.
Light intensity is
measured in unit called
lux.

Light intensity or brightness
The closer the source of the light is, the

greater the intensity or degree of brightness.
The greater the distance the source of the

light is, the lesser the intensity or brightness
because the light is spreading out.

What is reflection of light?
When a ray of light approaches a smooth polished surface
and the light ray bounces back, it is called the reflection of
light.
The perpendicular drawn on reflecting surface is called
normal. The figure below shows the reflection of an
incident beam on a plane mirror.

Types of reflection
When a beam of parallel light
rays is incident on a smooth
and plane surface,
the reflected rays will also be
parallel. This type
of reflection is called regular
reflection.
Irregular reflection occurs
when parallel rays of light are
incident on an irregular or
rough surface and after
reflection emerge in different
directions.

Types of reflection
A regular reflection is also called specular reflection and
an irregular reflection is also called diffuse reflection.
An image on water will only be clear if the water is flat. If
the water surface is very rough you do not see an image
at all or a very blurred image will form.

Images in plane mirrors
If we look into a mirror, we see an image.

Images in plane mirrors
If we look into a mirror, we see an image.
ta
ca
c
What kind of image is formed in the plane mirror?
⚫ laterally inverted
⚫ same size as the object
⚫ virtual

Describing images – real or virtual?
When we look into a mirror we
see an image. The image
appears to be behind the mirror.
If you look behind the mirror,
the image is obviously not
there, so we say it is a
virtual image. A virtual
image is one which cannot
be formed on a screen.
A real image is one that can be
formed on a screen, such as the
real image from the projector,
which you are reading now!

What is lateral inversion?
A plane mirror reflects light
regularly so it produces a clear
image, which is the same size
as the object.
The image appears the same

distance behind the mirror as
the object is in front of it.
What is different about the

image compared to the object?
When an object is reflected in a plane mirror, left appears

as right and right appears as left. This type of reversal is
called lateral inversion.

LEFT- RIGHT REVERSAL

The law of reflection
When a light ray hits a mirror it changes direction: the ray is
reflected.
normal
incident ray reflected ray
i r
point of incidence
plane mirror
angle of incidence (i) = angle of reflection (r)
This is called the law of reflection and is true for any type
of wave being reflected from any type of surface.

Using reflection
Reflection can be very useful.
High-visibility strips are very reflective and

make sure that this cyclist gets noticed
when there is little light.

How does a periscope uses reflection?
The two plane mirrors

must be positioned at 45°
from the vertical. Light is
reflected at right angles
from the top mirror onto
the bottom mirror and into
the eye of the viewer.
Reflection: summary

Reflection – true or false?
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What is refraction?
The straw appears to be bent in the

liquid. What is causing this effect?
As the light crosses the boundary

between fluid and glass, it is bent,
producing a distorted image.
This is known as refraction.

What is refraction?
Spear fishing has been used for centuries and

is still practiced by subsistence communities.
To accurately spear the fish,

fishermen learn to aim a short
distance behind the fishes’
image, in order to compensate
for the effect of refraction.

What is refraction?
When light travels from one substance to another, such as

from air to water, it changes direction. This bending of light
is called refraction.

Refraction – labelling diagrams
If an incident ray enters incident
glass at an angle, then it ray
is refracted, and bends normal
towards the normal.
The angle of incidence (i)
is larger than the angle of
refraction (r).
When the light leaves the
glass, the opposite
happens: it bends away
normal
from the normal.
refracted
A material which light passes through,
ray
such as glass or air, is known as a medium.

Why is light refracted?
The speed of light depends on the material through which the
light is travelling. When light enters a different material (e.g.
when moving from air into glass), the speed of light changes.
This causes the light to bend or refract.
air
glass
The speed of light is affected by the density of the

material through which it is travelling.
When light enters a more dense medium, its speed
decreases and this is why refraction occurs.

A model for refraction

Why does light change direction as it
enters a material?
 Imagine a car driving from the road

into a muddy field. Road
 In the muddy field it slows down as
there is more friction.
 If it enters the field at an angle then Tyre 1 Tyre2
the front tyres hit the mud at different
times.
 Tyre one hits the mud first and will
move more slowly than tyre two.This
causes the car to turn towards the
normal.
 When the car leaves the mud for the
road, tyre one hits the road before
tyre two and this causes the car to Mud
turn away from the normal.

Why does light change direction as
it enters a material?
 Imagine a car driving from the
road into a muddy field.
 In the muddy field it slows down
Road
as there is more friction.
 If it enters the field at an angle
Tyre 1 Tyre2
of incidence of other than 0
then the front tyres hit the mud
at different times.
 Tyre one hits the mud first and
will move more slowly than tyre
two.This causes the car to turn
towards the normal.
 When the car leaves the mud for Mud
the road, tyre one hits the road
before tyre two and this causes
the car to turn away from the
normal.
No change in direction
If the car approached The tyres would have

the muddy field at an the same speed relative
angle of incidence of 0° to each other so the
then both front tyres direction of the car
would hit the mud at would not change, it
the same time. would just slow down.

Refraction ray diagram

Effects of refraction
Light from the part of the pencil in the
water is refracted as it travels from the
water into the air, making it appear bent.
How does refraction make this

stone look closer to the surface
of the water than it really is?
Light rays from the stone are

refracted as they leave the water.
The brain assumes the rays

have travelled in straight lines,
and is fooled into forming an
image where it thinks the light
rays came from.
Effects of refraction – the Archer fish
The archer fish is a predator that shoots jets of water at
insects near the surface of the water.
The archer fish allows image of

prey
for the refraction of
light at the surface
of the water when
aiming at its prey.
The fish does not

aim at the refracted prey
image it sees but at location
a location where it
knows the prey to be.

Dispersion
The process of splitting white light into separate colours
is called dispersion.
Red
Orange
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
The colours that make up white
light are called the spectrum.

Splitting white light
Dispersion occurs because

different colours of light
refract differently.
Red light refracts the least;
violet light the most.
The order of the colours in the spectrum is always the

same. Use this phrase to remember the order of colours:
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain

Natural dispersion
If there are water droplets in the air and the sun is illuminating
them from behind, then you may see a rainbow in the air.
Light enters the water

droplets and refracts. It
then reflects off the back
of the rain drop.
The red light refracts

the least and the
violet the most. This
causes dispersion of
the sunlight.

Speed of light in materials

Dispersion – summary

Colours of the spectrum
Recombining colours
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Newton’s disc animation
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Primary and secondary colours
The three primary colours of light (red, green and blue)
can be mixed in different amounts to make all other colours.
blue
magenta
red green
The colours made by mixing two primary colours are called

the secondary colours – magenta, yellow and cyan.
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Which primary colours?
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Filters
Filters let certain colours of light

pass through, but absorb all other
colours.
Using different coloured filters

placed in front of your eye, look
around the classroom and see what
effect they have on your vision.
filter
Object

Red, blue and green filters
Red filters absorb all … apart from red light

colours….
Blue filters absorb all … apart from blue light

colours….
… apart from green light

Green filters absorb
all colours….
Magenta, cyan and yellow filters
Magenta filters … apart from red and

absorb all colours…. blue light
Cyan filters absorb all … apart from blue and

colours…. green light
Yellow filters absorb … apart from red and green

all colours…. light
Why do colours look different in different coloured
light?
Lets start with the example of a red ball in red light.
The red light

shines on
the ball. The red ball
reflects red light
and so appears
red.

What about the red ball in green light?
The green
light shines
on the ball.
So what colour does a red

ball appear in green light?

What about the red ball in green light?
The green
light shines
The red ball only
on red ball.
reflects red light so it
absorbs the green
light and reflects
nothing. Because it
doesn’t reflect any
type of light it appears
black.

But what if the filter you are using lets through more
than one type of light. For example what will our red
ball look like in magenta light.
The magenta
light shines on
the ball.
Remember that
magenta is a
mixture of blue
and red light The ball reflects only red light.
Therefore it absorbs the blue light
and reflects the red light. It will
appear to be red.

Complete the table below by adding in the colour
that each object would appear to be in the
conditions listed.
Object (Colour) Colour Filter Appearance

red ball red red
red ball blue black
blue book green black
blue book magenta blue
green apple cyan green
green apple magenta black
red and blue tie red red and black

Actvity
Flag colours
For the flag shown, draw what it will look like in:
a) Red light b) Green light c) Blue light

Glossary

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Light Notes - For Y8

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What is light?

Light is produced by the Sun,

Light carries energy

Light travels at a speed of

Light waves travel in

1 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

solar cell plants

Light travels in straight lines:

4 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

1) Thunder and lightning

2) When a starting pistol

At this speed it can

10 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

An object that does not give out light is non-luminous.

Light hits the comb

11 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

moon sun candle

The colors of objects are determined by the light that is not

All other colors of light striking the object are absorbed by

13 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

A red object, for example, reflects

A white object reflects most of the

A dark object absorbs most of the

14 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

© Boardworks Ltd 2003

16 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Opaque: wood, metal

19 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

20 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Shadows are dark areas where something blocks out light.

Shadows are formed because light travels in straight lines

So if something is in the its path the light is blocked, as a

21 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Light from the Sun and other wide sources cast

• The umbra is the central, darker part

During a total solar eclipse, the Moon

Light level or intensity

31 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

The closer the source of the light is, the

The greater the distance the source of the

32 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

33 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

34 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

35 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

36 of 45 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

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The image appears the same

What is different about the

When an object is reflected in a plane mirror, left appears

39 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

40 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

angle of incidence (i) = angle of reflection (r)

42 of 45 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

High-visibility strips are very reflective and

44 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

The two plane mirrors

48 of 47 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

The straw appears to be bent in the

As the light crosses the boundary

This is known as refraction.

50 of 45 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

Spear fishing has been used for centuries and