Light: A Wave and a Particle
(2 Part)
nd
OBJECTIVE
At the end of the lesson, you should
be able to differentiate dispersion,
scattering, interference, and diffraction of
light.
Light is a wave and a particle at the
same time; as a wave, it can be dispersed,
scattered, interfered, and diffracted.
LEARN ABOUT IT!
DISPERSION
Dispersion is the separation of white light
into its seven color components when there is
a refraction or bending of light. White light is
composed of the different color spectrum:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet. Each color has its own wave
frequency; different light frequencies bend at
different amounts when they pass through a
prism. When white light passes through a
prism, it will refract two times making the
separation of the colors noticeable.
LIGHT SCATTERING is
the ability of particles to
absorb light and scatter it
in all directions. Scattering
of light components
depends on the size of the
particles or scatterers;
small particles scatter
components of short
wavelengths (high
frequency) while larger
particles scatter longer
wavelengths (low
frequency).
Our atmosphere is composed of tiny
particles that scatter the color components of
white light. The atmosphere has an
abundance in nitrogen and oxygen particles,
which can scatter higher frequency
components of white light. They scatter
violet the most, followed by blue, green, and
so on. This selective scattering is called
the Rayleigh scattering. Our eyes are more
sensitive to blue frequencies of light, which
is why we see the sky as blue.
Another example is the clouds.
Clouds appear white because the water
droplets in the clouds are larger than
the wavelength of light which scatter
all the colors of light equally. This type
of scattering is known as Mie
scattering.
EXAMPLE
Diffraction effects are sometimes not
helpful when viewing objects under the
microscope. When the wavelength of light
has the same size as the object, diffraction
blurs the image. When the wavelength of
light is larger than the size of the object,
there is no image seen.
LEARN ABOUT IT!
INTERFERENCE
Interference is the result of the
superposing of waves from different sources.
If you examine a shadow formed by the
diffraction of light, you will see fringes on
the edge of the shadow. These fringes or the
interference of light waves are the result of
the diffraction of light at different sides of
the objects or obstacle which causes the
shadow to be fuzzy. When this property was
observed in the visible light, it was
considered as a clear proof of the wave
nature of light.
CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE
INTERFERENCE
Constructive interference happens
when two identical parts of two waves meet
such as a crest of one wave meets the crest of
another wave of the same wavelength; this
would result in a new wave with the same
wavelength but twice the amplitude.
Destructive interference happens
when two opposite parts of two waves
meet for example a crest of one wave
meets the trough of another wave which
would result in the cancellation of the
two waves.
EXPLORE
A rainbow is a phenomenon that
involves the dispersion of light which
results in a visible spectrum. It usually
occurs after a rain shower when there are
huge amount of water droplets suspended
in the atmosphere. Is it possible to see two
rainbows at the same time?
TRY IT!
Try to see diffraction and
interference by holding two pencil leads
side by side then shine a laser beam on the
slits and project the image on a wall.
Describe what you see. Can you distinguish
interference from diffraction?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
How do dispersion, scattering,
interference, and diffraction of
light prove the wave nature of
light?
KEY POINTS
Dispersion is the separation of white light
into its seven color components when there
is a refraction or bending of light. When
white light passes through a prism, it will
refract two times, making the separation of
the colors noticeable.
Light scattering is the ability of particles to
absorb light and scatter it in all directions.
Diffraction is the bending of light when it
encounters an obstacle or an opening.
Interference is the result of the superposing
of waves from different sources.
Constructive interference happens when
two identical parts of two waves meet, such
as when a crest of one wave meets the crest
of another wave of the same wavelength.
Destructive interference happens when two
opposite parts of two waves meet, for
example a crest of one wave meets the
trough of another wave, resulting in the
cancellation of the two waves
THANK YOU!!!
