If there is no light, there is no sight – explore our resources and learn more about the

basics of light, how we see and how we perceive the world around us. The research work
of three scientists is also profiled – they are working in the areas of
optics, ophthalmology and biophotonics.

The study of the interaction of biological materials with photons. It involves the use of
light to excite biological material followed by analysis of any remaining reflected or
transmitted light.

Rights: Lawrence Lawry/Science Photo Library 

Published 14 March 2012 Size: 25 KB Referencing Hub media

Prism

When white light shines through a prism, each colour refracts at a slightly different angle.
Violet light refracts slightly more than red light. A prism can be used to show the seven
colours of the spectrum that make up white light.
Learn about the basics of light and how it behaves:

 How is light produced? What is light made up of? How does light travel through space?
Find out more in the article Light basics.
 When blue light, red light and yellow light are mixed, white light results, but when blue,
red and yellow paints are mixed, the resulting paint is a dark brown. We explain this
apparent confusion in the article Colours of light.
 Ever wonder why fluorescent colours look so bright? It is all due to energy, as explained
in the article Light – colour and fluorescence.
 Apart from looking directly at a light source, most of what we see is as a result of the
process of reflection. We look at the main principles of reflection in the article Reflection
of light.
 Light in a vacuum travels at a constant speed of 300,000 km/s. Its speed in media like
air, water and glass is slightly slower. It is this change of speed that lies behind the
phenomenon known as refraction. Discover more about the bending of light by refraction.
 Is light made of waves or particles? There is evidence for both. These articles delve into
some of the key characteristics of waves: Fundamentals of waves, Waves and energy –
wave basics and Waves and energy – energy transfer.
 A shadow is the absence of light. Learn how they form and how and why they change in
the article Light and shadows.

We also investigate how we see.

Rights: Erion Cuko

The human eye

The eye is our collector of light, giving us sight. Its delicate structures enable entering light
energy to be converted to electrochemical energy. This stimulates the visual centres in the
brain, giving us the sensation of seeing. Sight is one of five human senses that act as
‘gatekeepers’ of our bodies.

Most people have some understanding of how we see things, but there is more to it than
meets the eye. Find out about the conflicting theories that surround the eye’s ability to
focus on objects as well as how the eye can transform light energy into electrical energy.

Both of our eyes allow us to see in 3D, but does this mean that people with only one eye
can only see in 2D? Find out more about depth in visual perception and seeing in 2D and
3D in the article.

Ver Depth perception

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

The visible spectrum

The visible spectrum showing the wavelengths of each of the component colours. The
spectrum ranges from dark red at 700 nm to violet at 400 nm.

Meet the scientists

We profile three scientists working in this field.

 Dr Adrian Dorrington from the University of Waikato is

investigating time-of-flight 3D cameras. The problem to be resolved in
 Adrian’s research is how to improve the capability of these cameras to
measure accurately distance from the camera to the object being viewed.
 Associate Professor Rainer Künnemeyer is also from the University of
Waikato, but his area of research is in biophotonics. This is a branch of
science that deals with the interaction of light with biological materials.
Part of Rainer’s research involves developing a laser light scattering
method to assess the ripeness of different fruits.
 Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson is an ophthalmologist with the
Dunedin School of Medicine. His research projects are many and varied,
but as Director of Glaucoma New Zealand, he has an on-going interest in
this disease that affects the functioning of the optic nerve.

Take up the challenge

Student activities include a mix of hands-on and literacy-based investigations.
Consider beginning a teaching sequence with Light and sight: true or false? The
activity is supported by the teacher resource Alternative conceptions about
light and is a useful pretest to establish student understanding.

Students who like to build models will enjoy these very effective activities to
explore the basics of light: Investigating reflection, Investigating refraction and
spearfishing, Pinhole cameras and eyes and Make a hologram-like projector.

Light coming from the fish refracts (changes direction) when it hits the surface. A person
above the water sees the apparent position of the fish closer to the surface than the real
position of the fish.