SAN JOSE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

San Jose, Malilipot, Albay

Nelson B. Bataller
Instructor

WAVES AND OPTICS

MODULE 1

Instructor: NELSON B. BATALLER MS Physics 4 – Waves and Optics BSED-SCIENCE 3A

Module 1(Week 5)
Lesson 5

The Nature and propagation of light

What is light?
It is that part of electromagnetic spectrum that can be detected by
the human eye.

Our human eye detects light in a range of colors from red to orange to
yellow, to green to blue to indigo and to violet. When all the colors are
mixed, they form white light.

Rectilinear Propagation of Light

Light travels in straight lines. Light energy from the sun travels to the eyes in straight lines
called rays.

The formation of shadows by opaque objects is one of the direct effects of the rectilinear propagation of
light.

Eclipse is an example of a shadow in a larger scale.

1. Solar eclipse (eclipse of the sun) is the blocking of light from the sun by the
moon. It occurs during the day when the sun casts a shadow of the moon on
earth.(New moon).

2. Lunar eclipse (eclipse of the moon) is the blocking of light from the sun by the
Earth. It occurs during night time when the sun casts a shadow of the earth on
the moon.(Full moon)

Speed of light in a vacuum, c

The speed of light in an empty space is,
c = 3.0 x108 m/s

Nelson B. Bataller 1
College Instructor
Dual Nature of Light
A. Light has a dual nature
1. Sometimes it behaves like a particle (called a photon), which explains how light travels in straight lines
2. Sometimes it behaves like a wave, which explains how light bends (or diffracts) around an object
3. Scientists accept the evidence that supports this dual nature of light (even though it intuitively doesn't
make sense to us!)

B. Quantum Theory
1. Light is thought to consist of tiny bits of energy that behave
like particles called photons
a. Particles explain how light travels in straight lines or
reflects off of mirrors

Activity 5: Answer the following questions.

1. Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to the human eyes?

2. How is light propagated in the medium?
3. What is formed when light is blocked by an opaque object?
4. What is the speed of light in a vacuum? What do you think to the speed of light when it travels
through liquid and solid?
5. Illustrate a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. Consider the following objects in your drawing:
Earth, Moon Sun.
6. Explain the dual nature of light.

Nelson B. Bataller 2
College Instructor