SHS- Physical Science (Optical Phenomena & Radio Waves)

I.
I.
I.
I.
Introductory Concept
For us humans and other animals, the sense of sight is vital in our everyday
living. Visible light makes all these possible, because no one can see anything
without it. It makes us appreciate the beauty of nature. It helps us be more efficient
with our work and other tasks. But there is more to light than meets the eye, as the
saying goes. On your previous module, light is commonly considered wave, an
electromagnetic one, in fact, it displays wavelike properties such as reflection,
refraction, and diffractions. Yet, developments in Modern Physics have attributed
particle – like properties to light, such as scattering and dispersion. Thus, light is
considered both wave and a particle.
In this lesson, we will explain some of the light phenomena that we observe in our
daily lives. Have you ever wondered how rainbows, mirages and haloes happen?
Every time you take a silhouette shot of yourself every sunset, have you ever asked?
yourself why such colors exist? What makes the sky appear blue when it’s a good
day
and a dark one when it’s not? Moreover, we will also discover how radio waves
occur
as a part of our EM spectrum. All of these and more are waiting for you!

II. Learning Competency

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
A. Explain various light phenomena such as:
a. Your reflection on the concave and convex sides of a spoon looks
different
b. Mirages
c. Light from a red laser passes more easily through red cellophane
than green cellophane
d. Clothing of certain colors appear different in artificial light and in
sunlight

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 e. Haloes, sundogs, primary rainbows, secondary rainbows, and
supernumerary bows
f. Why clouds are usually white and rainclouds dark
g. Why the sky blue and sunsets are reddish (S11/12PS-lVh-66)
B. Describe how Hertz produced radio pulses (S11/12PS-lVi-68)

III. Activities
ACTIVITY 1: LIGHT AND OPTICS CROSSWORD PUZZLE – A REVIEW
Given the clues and directions below, solve the crossword puzzle.

REMEMBER:
• Light has a dual nature – both a wave and a
particle.
Classical electromagnetic wave theory provides
adequate explanations of light propagation and of
the effects of interference, whereas photoelectric

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effect and other experiments involving the interaction of light with matter are best
explained by assuming light is a particle.

• Reflection is the bouncing back of light as it hits a

surface. It has 2 kinds:
(a) Specular / Regular Reflection – happens when the
light that strikes a smooth, flat and shiny surface, such
as mirror, a piece of metal, or undisturbed water, is
reflected in one direction. This enables us to see
images on the surface.
(b) Diffused / Irregular Reflection – happens when light
hits a rough – textured surface, it reflects in different
directions.
University Physics with Modern Physics,
Young and Freedman 13th Edition

• Refraction is the process wherein light passes obliquely into two media of
different optical density.

Light bends towards the normal when it Light bends away from the
normal
travels from a less dense to a denser medium if it travels from a denser to a
less dense medium.

• Light diffracts around sharp edges and corners.

• Total internal reflection occurs when light

travels from a denser to a less dense
medium and strikes the boundary at an
angle greater than the critical angle of a
material.

https://cdn1.byjus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/
physics/wp-content/uploads/
2015/12/15712385767_046496ab37.jpg

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• In constructive interference, the
amplitude of the resultant wave is
higher than the amplitude of either
interfering wave, so a bright fringe is
formed. In destructive interference, the
amplitude of the resulting wave can
result to zero, hence a dark fringe is
formed.
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/light/u12l1b5.gif

• Scattering is the absorption and re-emission of light in different directions.

• Dispersion is the separation of white light into its component colors.

• When light falls on an object, some of it

is absorbed and some is reflected or
transmitted. The color of an object
depends on the color of the light that it
reflects/transmits; e.g., a red object
observed in daylight appears red because
it reflects/transmits only the waves
producing red light.
Colors of light/funscience.com

• A mirror with a surface that curves inward

like the inside of a bowl is a concave mirror,
also known as converging mirror. They are
usually used as a magnifying mirror.
• A mirror with a surface that curves outward
is a convex mirror, also known as diverging
mirror.
• All real images are inverted; all virtual
images are erect.

OPTICAL PHENOMENA
Why is the sky blue and sunset red?
When you look at the daytime sky, the light that you see is sunlight that has

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 been absorbed and then re-radiated in a variety of directions. This process is called
scattering. (If the earth had no atmosphere, the sky would appear as black in the
daytime as it does at night, just as it does to an astronaut in space or on the moon.)
The blue color of the sky and the
red color of the sunsets are due to
Rayleigh scattering, an optical
phenomenon that is dependent on
this size of the particles in the
atmosphere.
The size of gases and
suspended dust particles in the

atmosphere is smaller compared to

the wavelengths of visible light. When light passes through the atmosphere with
suspended dust particles, the shorter wavelength of the visible light (violet and blue)
are scattered more than the longer wavelength of visible light (red). However, our
eyes are more sensitive to blue light; thus, we see the sky as blue.
Meanwhile, the light that is not scattered (red, orange, and yellow) passes
through the atmosphere and reaches our eyes. Although sunlight consists of a wide
range of frequencies, not all frequencies have the same energy. The sun appears to
be yellow during midday due to the direct passage of dominant amounts of yellow
frequency.
As the sun approaches the horizon, it traverses a greater distance through the
atmosphere. It encounters more and more atmospheric particles scattering red light,
the lowest frequency in the spectrum.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

Why are clouds white and rain clouds dark?

Clouds contain a high concentration
of water droplets or ice crystals, which
also scatter light. Because of this high
concentration, light passing through the
cloud has many more opportunities for
scattering than does light passing through
a clear sky. Thus, light of all wavelengths
is eventually scattered out of the cloud, so
the cloud looks white. Milk looks white for
the same reason; the scattering is due to
fat globules in the milk. This phenomenon is called Mie scattering.
Rain clouds are dark instead of white because of their thickness and height. As

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 the cloud gets thicker and denser, sunlight passing through the cloud will be blocked,
giving the cloud a gray color.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

Why are there rainbows, halos and sun dogs?

The position of a rainbow depends on the position of the observer and the
position of the sun. The position of a rainbow is always opposite the direction of the
sun with respect to the observer.
Light is refracted first as it enters the
surface of a raindrop. Part of it is reflected at
the back of the drop and refracted again as it
leaves the drop. As a result, the incoming
light is reflected back over a wide range of
angles. Light is more intense at angles
between 40◦ and 42◦. When the light refracted
twice and reflected once by a droplet, a primary rainbow is formed.
Sometimes, a redundant dimmer and thicker secondary rainbow is seen outside
the primary rainbow. It is caused by a double reflection of the sunlight inside the
raindrop. As a result, a second reflection, with
the colors inverted (blue on the outside and red
on the inside), is formed. A secondary rainbow is
formed if sunlight is refracted twice and reflected
twice and appear at an angle between 50◦ and
53◦.
Supernumerary bows are formed by small
and almost similar – sized raindrops. They are
seen inside the primary rainbow and outside the secondary rainbow. Inside the
Photo by: Clay S. Turner
primary rainbow, they are visible and seen as closely spaced
greenish and purple arcs. Outside the secondary rainbow,
they are too faint to be seen.
Halo is a ring or circle of light around the sun or moon. It is seen at night when the
moon is bright. It is seen around the sun any time at any place on Earth when there
are cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds consist of ice crystals. The hexagonally shaped ice
crystals in the atmosphere create halos by refracting and reflecting light.
Sundogs or parhelia are created when sunlight is refracted by hexagonal platelike
ice crystals with diameter larger than 30µm. They can be observed throughout the
year and anywhere in the world. They are visible when the sun is close to the
horizon and at the same horizontal plane as the observer. The difference between
sun dogs and halos is the orientation of the ice crystals through which the light
passes before reaching our eyes. Sun dogs are observed when the hexagonal ice
crystals are oriented with their flat faces horizontally. Halos are observed when the

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 hexagonal ice crystals are
randomly oriented.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical
Phenomena

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/halo.html

How a mirage is formed?

A mirage is a virtual image
formed when light is bent as it passes
through the atmosphere of varying
densities. When the sun heats up
Earth’s surface, the air closer to the
ground is warmer and is less dense
than the air at higher altitude. Warm
air has a lower index of refraction https://www.scu.edu/illuminate/thought-leaders/phil-kesten/why-do-we-
see-mirages.html
than cool air. As light travels along a
boundary between air of different temperatures, light rays bend toward the cooler air.
If the air near the ground is warmer than the air at higher altitude, light rays bend
upward to the cooler air. Light refracting upward results in an inferior image.
An inferior image is “inferior” because the inverted image lies below the upright
one. On the road, a mirage gives the impression that objects are reflected by a
puddle of water. In deserts, mirages may give the appearance of a lake or a large
body of water.
Another type of mirage is called a superior image. It is less common because it is
unusual for the air near the ground to be cooler. It occurs mainly in the Arctic and
Antarctic regions. Refractions occurs because the air closer to the ground is colder
and denser than the air at higher altitudes. A superior image is inverted and lies
above the upright one. It takes the form of a looming, towering figure.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

Why is the reflection on a convex mirror different from that of a concave one?
The image in a convex mirror is virtual, upright and reduced. A virtual image
occurs when rays only appear to converge. As the object gets closer, the image gets
larger until it reaches the size of the object when it touches the mirror. Convex
mirrors cover a wider field of view than a normal plane mirror. This is the reason why
the side mirrors of vehicles are convex.

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 The image formed in a
concave mirror varies
depending on the position of
the object from the mirror. If
the object is located beyond
the focal point the concave
mirror, the image would be
real, inverted and smaller. If
the object is between the https://vivadifferences.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Capture-29.png

focal point and the vertex of the mirror, the image would be virtual, upright and
larger.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

Why do certain colors appear different in artificial light and in sunlight?

Although both sunlight and artificial light
appear to emit white light, artificial light
has a slightly different mixture of
wavelengths from that of sunlight. For
example, incandescent bulbs generate
yellow light that heightens warm colors
but dulls out cool colors. Fluorescent
bulbs generate cool blue light that
intensifies blue and green but tends to
mute warm colors. Compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs) produce either a warm white, a neutral, or a bluish light. Light –
emitting diodes (LEDs) have cooler or warmer lights.
Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

Why does a red laser light pass more easily through a red cellophane than
through a green one?
The color of what you see in a cellophane
change depending on its color. If you look
through a red cellophane, everything on the
other side of the cellophane appears to be in
a shade of red. Likewise, if you look through
a green cellophane, everything appears
green.
Red cellophane allows only red light to Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

pass through it. It absorbs the other colors of light. Green cellophane allows only
green light to pass through it. It absorbs the other colors of light. Red light will not
pass through a green cellophane. As a general rule, each color filter, like glass or
cellophane, will only allow light of its own color to pass through.

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 Source: Religioso, Cordero-Navaza, Optical Phenomena

ACTIVITY 2: APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

A. Differentiate the following:
1. Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering
2.halo and sun dog
3. inferior image and superior image
4. images formed by concave and convex mirror
5. natural light and artificial light
B. Answer the following questions by applying the concepts learned.
1. How does the color of a yellow bag differ when illuminated by
candlelight and by light from fluorescent lamp?
2. Would there still be a mirage if the speed of light were the same in
air of various densities and temperatures?
PRODUCING ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
In the nineteenth century, many discoveries were made about electricity and
magnetism. By far, their focus was to consolidate all the different findings about
electricity and magnetism into clear and comprehensive form. This was achieved by
a Scottish physicist, James Clark Maxwell (1831 – 1879).
His interests on the works of Coulomb, Oersted, Ampere and Faraday on the
relationship between electricity and magnetism led him to formulate a mathematical
theory. This theory, known as Maxwell’s electromagnetic equations, states that an
oscillating electric current should be capable of radiating energy in the form of waves
known as electromagnetic waves (EM waves) that would travel as fast as the speed
of light.
Fig 1. Hertz’ experiment used to prove to existence of EM Waves.
There were some resistances to Maxwell’s
assertions, especially his statement that light is a
form of electromagnetic wave. Later findings,
however, proved it to be correct.
There was no experimental confirmation made
on Maxwell’s theory until Heinrich hertz (1857 –
1894) discovered Hertzian waves, also known as
radio waves. The unit used for the frequency of a
wave, the hertz (Hz), is named in honor of Heinrich Hertz.

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 Hertz generated electromagnetic waves by using two identical circuits
generated by A and B as shown in figure 1. Each circuit has shiny metal ball at each
end with a very small air gap for a spark to occur each time the electromotive force
(emf) reached a peak. This shows that electromagnetic waves from A traveled the
space between and A and B.
An EM wave can be visualized as Fig 2. EM wave is made up of electrical and magnetic
fields that are perpendicular to each other.
an oscillating electric force traveling
through space accompanied by a
similar oscillating magnetic force in a
plane at right angles to it. If the
magnetic field is in the horizontal plane
as in Figure 2, the electric field
generated by the changing magnetic data:image/
png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAASgAAACqCAMAAAAp1iJMA
field is in the vertical direction. These
two fields are perpendicular to each other, and they are also perpendicular to the
direction of the wave.
Source: Padua, Alicia L., Crisostomo, Richard M., Practical and Exploration Physics Modular Approach.

ACTIVITY 3: APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Answer the following questions by applying the concepts learned.
1. What was the Electromagnetic Theory all about according to Maxwell?
2. Who supported Maxwell’s claims regarding the EM Waves?
3. How did Hertz generate EM waves or Hertzian Waves?
4. Based from his observations, how do we define EM waves?

ACTIVITY 4: LET’S ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

1. What image do convex mirrors form?
A. real image B. virtual image
C. both real and virtual image D. neither real nor virtual
image
2. Why does a blue t-shirt appear blue?
A. Blue light is absorbed by the t-shirt B. Blue light is emitted by the t-shirt
C. Blue light is reflected by the t-shirt D. Blue light is refracted by the t-shirt
3. What light phenomena explains the formation of mirage?
A. interference B. reflection
C. refraction D. scattering
4. Which property of light is responsible for white clouds, blue sky and red sunset?
A. Dispersion B. Interference
C. Scattering D. Diffraction
5. Hertzian waves are also known as _________________
A. Radio Waves B. Infrared
C. Microwaves D. UV Rays

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IV. Reflection
Kindly complete the following statements based on what you have learned.
I have learned that
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________.
I wish to ask my teacher about
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________.

V. References
Padua, Alicia L., Crisostomo, Richard M. 2010. “Practical and Exploration Physics”
Modular Approach. : 310 - 313
Religioso, Teresita F., and Navasa – Cordero, Delia. 2017 “You and the Natural
World Series PHYSICAL SCIENCE”: 219 - 224

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