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the Direction of Light Can Change
- Reflection light path bends back from a reflective surface (e.g. mirror, surface of pond,
table, chair, pen, etc......)
- Refraction light path bends at interface between two transparent media of different
indices of refraction (densities).
- Scattering* light path changed by interaction with small particles (e.g. molecules, dust
, etc..) about same size as light wavelength.
- Dispersion* light paths are refracted by different amounts
- Diffraction* light waves interfere constructively and destructively
*
Effect stronger for blue light than red light.
Scattering of Light
Why Is the Sky Blue?
Why does the whole sky appear blue in color?
What color is the Sun? Why?
WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?
Sunlight
Dust and
Molecules
Earthís
Atmosphere
Light Scattering: Blue light is scattered (re-directed) in all different directions by dust and
large molecules in the Earthís atmosphere more than other colors.
Atoms interact with light
light
Why Is the Sky Blue?
Sunlight
Dust and
Molecules redirect Blue light more than
other colors
Earthís
Atmosphere
Blue light is scattered (re-directed) in all different directions by dust and large molecules in
the Earthís atmosphere more than other colors.
Why does the whole sky appear blue in color?
What color is the Sun? Why?
Why Does the Setting Sun Look Red?
vacuum of space toward
setting
large Sun
molecules
ere dust
hí s Atmosph sunlight
Ear t
observing
the sun set Earth
The Sun emits all colors of light. When the Sun sets, you see the Sun appear very low on the
horizon. You must look at the setting sun through a long path through the Earthís
atmosphere.
ï What do the molecules and dust in the atmosphere do to the different colors light coming
from the sun?
ï How does ì scatteringî of the sunlight make the setting sun appear red?
Dispersion of Light
How Are Different Colors Refracted?
different colors
ì whiteî light are refracted by
of all colors different amounts
Air producing a
Glass spectrum
Prism
Dispersion: Light of different wavelengths (colors) refract (their light paths bend) by
different amounts when light passes from one transparent medium (like air) into another
transparent medium (like glass which has a different density, and a different ì index of
refractionî ).
The shorter the wavelength (higher the frequency) the more light is refracted.
Diamonds
What Causes Diamonds to Sparkle?
- Small critical angle for total internal reflection
- Cut so that virtually all light is reflected back out
through the front surface
-Large index of refraction causes large dispersion and large separation of
colors
Cut Critical
to angle = 25 degrees
optimize
tot internal
reflection
n = 2.4 index of refraction
large, so dispersion or separation of colors very large
Rainbows
primary
secondary
How Does a Rainbow Form?
light
wave
entering rain
a rain drop drop
Air
Light slows down at the air-water interface, and speeds up at the water-air interface.
What are all of the things that can happen to these light rays?
su n
ligh
t
rain
drop
Rainbow Formation
su n l
i ght
all co
lors normal for incoming light ray
dispersion total internal
reflection
tangent line
for blue ray
What Causes a Rainbow?
su n l
ig h t
all co
lors
refraction &
dispersion
total internal
reflection
Two refractions + one total internal reflection
Why Are Many Raindrops Needed to See a Rainbow?
sunl
ig h t
rain
sunl drop
ight
rain
drop
Many!
Rainbow
all rain drops on this line
sunlight (all colors) contribute red to the rainbow
sunlight (all colors)
to sun 42 ∞
to sun
40 ∞
all rain drops on this line
contribute blue to the rainbow
Why Do We See only Half a Rainbow?
invisible
Why Do We See a Circular Rainbow?
In the right conditions, every one sees a ì personalî rainbow.
sunlight
42 degrees
WHY ARE MANY RAINDROPS NEEDED TO SEE A RAINBOW?
sunl
ig h t
Many Rain Drops
rain
Needed to sunl drop
See a Rainbow i gh t
rain
drop
Double Rainbow
primary
secondary
What Causes a the Secondary Rainbow?
Sunlight can have 2 total internal reflections inside any raindrop:
raindrop
Double Rainbow
sunlight (all colors)
Two total internal reflections + two refractions
Order of colors reversed!
How many rain drops does it take to see all the colors in a double rainbow?
sunlight (all colors)
sunlight (all colors)
Many rain drops!
Why is the Secondary higher than Primary Rainbow?
Higher drops cause Higher
Secondary Rainbow drops
contrib
Sun blue
ligh
t
Lower
drops
contrib red
Higher
contrib
red
Lower
contrib
Lower drops cause blue
Primary Rainbow
Secondary Rainbow: Why is the Color Order Reversed?
Electromagnetic Spectrum
RADIO MICRO INFRA VISIBLE UV GAMMA
WAVES WAVES RED LIGHT LIGHT X-RAYS RAYS
FREQUENCY
WAVELENGTH
ENERGY
Energy of an Electromagnetic Wave
E = const × frequency
E = hf
c
frequency = -------------------------------
wavelength
hc hc
E = ------------------------------ = ------
wavelength λ
where E = energy carried by an electromagnetic wave in units of Joules
f = frequency of an electromagnetic wave in units of Hertz (cycles/sec)
λ = wavelength of an electromagnetic wave in units of meters
c = speed of an electromagnetic wave = 300,000 km/s in a vacuum.
ñ 34
h = Planckís constant = 6.6 × 10 Joule second
Our eyes are sensitive only to the:
Visible Light Part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Sunlight
Brightness
TEMPERATURE =
5800 ∞ C
IR UV
700 400
Wavelength (nanometers)
Particle Model for Light
E = hf = energy of one photon of light
h = Planckís constant = 6.6 x 10 -34 J s
f = frequency of light (Hz)
E is in units of Joules per photon
λ = wavelength of light (nm)
c
λ = --
f
hc
E = ------ = energy of one photon
λ
How many photons does a 100 Watt light bulb emit each second?
(Remember: 100 Watts = 100 Joule/sec)
Energy(light bulb) = 100 Joules/s
E(one photon) = hf Joules/photons
E
LB 100
No. photons = ----------------------- = ----------
E photon ( hf )
100W
= -------------------------------------------------------
ñ 34 15
6.6x10 Jsx10 Hz
= 1.5 x 1020 photon/sec
So 100 Watt light bulb emits 150,000,000,000,000,000,000 photons each sec!!
or 150 million trillion photons every sec..