INTRODUCTI

ON
TO LIGHTS

What is Light?
Light

is a form of energy.
Light has properties of both a wave and
a particle.
Light waves move as transverse waves.
These

waves move extremely fast in straight

paths called rays

Light

waves do not need a medium

through which to move.
Light waves are electromagnetic waves

Light Waves vs. Sound Waves

LIGHT

WAVES

It move as transverse waves

It do not need a medium to travel; they
can travel through empty space

Light Waves vs. Sound Waves

SOUND

WAVES

Are compressional, or longitudinal

Sound waves need a medium to travel;
they cannot travel through empty space.

BEHAVIORAL
CHARACTERIST
ICS OF LIGHT

Light exhibits certain behaviors that are

characteristic of any wave and would be difficult to
explain with a purely particle-view. Light reflects in
the same manner that any wave would reflect. Light
refracts in the same manner that any wave would
refract. Light diffracts in the same manner that any
wave would diffract. Light undergoesinterferencein
the same manner that any wave would interfere.
And light exhibitsthe Doppler effectjust as any
wave would exhibit the Doppler effect. Light behaves
in a way that is consistent with our conceptual and
mathematical understanding of waves. Since light
behaves like a wave, one would have good reason to
believe that it might be a wave.

REFLECTION
All waves are known to
undergoreflectionor the bouncing off
of an obstacle. Most people are very
accustomed to the fact that light
waves also undergo reflection. The
reflection of light waves off of a
mirrored surface results in the
formation of an image. One
characteristic of wave reflection is that
the angle at which the wave
approaches a flat reflecting surface is
equal to the angle at which the wave
leaves the surface. This characteristic
is observed for water waves and sound
waves. It is also observed for light
waves. Light, like any wave, follows the
law of reflection when bouncing off
surfaces.

REFRACTION

All waves are known to

undergorefractionwhen they pass from one
medium to another medium. That is, when a wave
front crosses the boundary between two media,
the direction that the wave front is moving
undergoes a sudden change; the path is "bent.
Refraction is the bending of light rays when
passing through a surface between one
transparent material and another.
This behavior of wave refraction can be
described byboth conceptual and mathematical
principles. First, the direction of "bending" is
dependent upon the relative speed of the two
media. Second, the amount of bending is
dependent upon the actual speeds of the two
media on each side of the boundary.
These equations are based upon the speeds
of the wave in the two media and the angles at
which the wave approaches and departs from the
boundary. Light, like any wave, is known to refract
as it passes from one medium into another
medium.

DIFFRACTION
It involves a change in direction
of waves as they pass through an
opening or around an obstacle in
their path.
When light encounters an
obstacle in its path, the obstacle
blocks the light and tends to cause
the formation of a shadow in the
region behind the obstacle. Light
does not exhibit a very noticeable
ability to bendaround the obstacle
and fill in the region behind it with
light. Nonetheless, light does
diffract around obstacles. In fact, if
you observe a shadow carefully,
you will notice that its edges are
extremely fuzzy.

References:
http://

camillasenior.homestead.com/optics3.ht
ml
http://
www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/light/
u12l1b.cfm

PHYSICS OF
LIGHT
DE LA LUNA, MARGARETTE A.
QUIROS, ELLYSA CHARISE M.

Introduction
Light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave that can be seen
by humans.
Light is sometimes also known as visible light to contrast it from
"ultraviolet light" and "infrared light".
The amplitude of a light wave is related to its intensity.
-Intensity is the absolute measure of a light wave's power
density.
-Brightness is the relative intensity as perceived by the
average human eye.

Introduction
The wavelength of a light wave is inversely proportional to its
frequency.

Introduction
"Is light a wave or a stream of particles?
The fact is that light exhibits behaviors that are characteristic of
both waves and particles.
Albert Einstein discovered the nature of light as stream of
particles.
In 1678, Christiaan Huygens (16291695) he argued in favor
of the wave nature of light. Huygens stated that an expanding
sphere of light behaves as if each point on the wave front were
a new source of radiation of the same frequency and phase.

BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an
interface between two different media so that the wavefront
returns into the medium from which it originated.
The law of reflection says that for specular reflection the angle
at which the wave is incident on the surface equals the angle at
which it is reflected. Mirrors exhibit specular reflection.

BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT
Refraction of waves involves a change in the direction of
waves as they pass from one medium to another. Refraction, or
the bending of the path of the waves, is accompanied by a
change in speed and wavelength of the waves.
If the medium (and its properties) is changed, the speed of the
waves is changed.
The most significant property of water that would affect the
speed of waves traveling on its surface is the depth of the
water. Water waves travel fastest when the medium is the
deepest. Thus, if water waves are passing from deep water into
shallow water, they will slow down.

BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT
Waves traveling from the deep end to the
shallow end can be seen to refract (i.e.,
bend), decrease wavelength (the wavefronts
get closer together), and slow down (they take
a longer time to travel the same distance).
When traveling from deep water to shallow
water, the waves are seen to bend in such a
manner that they seem to be traveling more
perpendicular to the surface. If traveling from
shallow water to deep water, the waves bend
in the opposite direction.

BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT
Reflection involves a change in
direction of waves when they
bounce off a barrier; refraction of
waves involves a change in the
direction of waves as they pass
from one medium to another; and
diffraction involves a change in
direction of waves as they pass
through an opening or around a
barrier in their path.

What can a light wave do when it

encounters matter?
REFLECTION
-specular reflection of light by a mirror
-diffuse reflection of the light in this room off all the other
students
-reflection is re-radiation of light by the electrons in the
reflecting material
ABSORBED
-Cyan light shining on a red apple is absorbed by electrons in
the apple

A light wave shining on molecules in the air or plastic or other

transparent materials can be
SCATTERED
-Light ray moves over to the side in all directions rather than
forward, backward or being absorbed.
-Intensity of the scattered light can depend on wavelength

RAYLEIGH SCATTERING
Light waves with shorter
wavelength scatter more
Our eye sensitivity to the
blue color is much
stronger than that to violet.

RAYLEIGH SCATTERING

Thinkofwhitelight
fromsunasamixture
ofR,GandB
Blueisscatteredthe
mostsoskylooks
bluewhenwelook
awayfromthesun
Forsamereasonsun
looksyellow(red+
green)
Moreatmosphere
allowsnextshortest
wavelengths(green)
toscattersosunset
looksred

Transmission coefficient
Thetransmission coefficientis used
inphysicsandelectrical engineeringwhenwave
propagationin a medium containingdiscontinuitiesis
considered.
A transmission coefficient describes the amplitude,
intensity, or total power of a transmitted wave relative to
an incident wave.
Inoptics,transmissionis the property of a substance to
permit the passage of light, with some or none of the
incident light being absorbed in the process.
Thetransmission coefficientis a measure of how
much of anelectromagnetic wave(light) passes through
a surface or an optical element.

References
http://www.scratchapixel.com/old/lesso
ns/3d-basic-lessons/lesson-14-interact
ion-light-matter/optics-reflection-and
-refraction/
http://www.physast.uga.edu/~rls/ast
ro1020/ch4/ovhd.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmis
sion_coefficient

ABSORPTION
LIGHT

O We havepreviouslylearned that:
O visible

light waves consist of

continuous range of wavelengths
frequencies.
O visible light waves consist of
continuous range of wavelengths
frequencies.

a
or
a
or

O The light wave could be absorbed by

the object, in which case its energy

is converted to heat.
O The light wave could be reflected by
the object.
O And
the light wave could be
transmitted by the object.

Atoms and molecules

contain electrons.
O When

a light wave with that same natural

frequency impinges upon an atom, then the
electrons of that atom will be set into vibrational
motion.
O If a light wave of a given frequency strikes a
material with electrons having the same
vibrational frequencies, then those electrons will
absorb the energy of the light wave and
transform it into vibrational motion. During its
vibration, the electrons interact with neighboring
atoms in such a manner as to convert its
vibrational energy into thermal energy.

O absorption

depends
on
the
electromagnetic frequency of the light
being transmitted (i.e. the color) and the
nature of the atoms of the object.
O If they are complementary, light will be
absorbed; if they are not, then the light will
be reflected or transmitted. In most cases,
these processes occur simultaneously and
to varying degrees, since light is usually
transmitted at various frequencies.

REFLECTION

MERCADO, DAN RHYAN U.

2013122125

Reflection of Light
Reflectionis when light bounces off an object. If the surface is smooth
and shiny, like glass, water or polishedmetal, the light will reflect at
the same angle as it hit the surface. This is calledSpecular reflection.
Diffuse reflection is when light hits an object and reflects in lots of
different directions. This happens when the surface is rough. Most of
the things we see are because light from a source has reflected off it.

SPECULAR REFLECTION

DIFFUSE REFLECTION

Law of Reflection and Angle of Reflection

A ray of light hitting the surface (incident ray) comes in at an
angle, which is called the angle of incidence. The ray of light
bounces off the surface (reflected ray) at an angle, which is called
the angle of reflection.
According to the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is equal to
the angle of reflection.

Light in Architecture
The quality of lighting in a space defines its character and creates
impressions. The human eye perceives its form through the
incidence and reflection of light and in that way acquires information
about the ambiance in a given place. Visual impressions are
interpreted in our brains and put in context to create emotions that
move us to take particular actions.

REFERENCES:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/angle-of-reflection-definition-for
mula-quiz.html
http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Light-and-Sight/Science-Ideasand-Concepts/Reflection-of-light
http://lgg.epfl.ch/publications/2012/caustics/ArchitecturalCaustics
_AAG.pdf
http://light2015blog.org/2015/01/27/light-in-architecture/