UNIT 3

MODULE

LIGHT What are the common sources of Light?

How do these common sources produce Light?
What are the common properties and characteristics of Light?
LIGHT
For centuries the nature of light was disputed. In
the 17th century, Isaac Newton proposed the “corpuscular
theory” stating that light is composed of particles. Other
scientists, like Robert Hooke and Christian Huygens,
believed light to be a wave. Today we know that light
behaves as both a wave and as a particle. Light undergoes
interference and diffraction, as all waves do, but whenever
light is emitted, it is always done so in discreet of packets
called photons. These photons carry momentum, but not
mass.

Robert Hooke Christian Huygens Isaac Newton

How do we see LIGHT?
The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum covers a wide range of

wavelengths and photon energies. Visible light ranges from 400
to 700 nanometers. About 550 nanometers, which is a yellowish
green, is the wavelength to which our eyes are most responsive.
Only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible
to us. The smaller the wavelength, the more energy each
photons of the light has.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Wavelengths other that visible light serve useful purposes:
Radio waves are very long (a few centimeters to 6 football fields) and
can be used to send signals. These signals are transmitted by radio stations.
They transmit information and music via amplitude modulation (AM) and
frequency modulation (FM).
Microwaves (a few millimeters long) are also used in communications.
Microwave ovens are great for heating food since food is primarily water, and
microwaves have just the right frequency to get water molecules vibrating.
Infrared (micrometers in length) are used in remote controls to change
the channel, and they are also radiated by objects that are warmer than their
surrounding (like your body). They make night vision equipment possible.

Ultraviolet light is harmful to our bodies because its wavelength is so

small. Short wavelength mean high energy for photons. UV causes our skin to
tan and burn. Fortunately, the ozone layer blocks most UV radiation, but
prolonged exposure to the sun should be avoided, since UV rays can cause skin
cancer. On the positive side UV radiation helps people to produce their own
vitamin D.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
X-rays are even more energetic, and hence more dangerous, than UV
rays, but luckily they cannot penetrate our ozone layer. They are produced in
space and of course are used by doctors to get pictures of your bones.
Gamma rays are the most energetic of the light waves and little is
known about them other than they are very harmful to living cells and are used
by doctors to kill certain cells and for other operations. They are produced in
nuclear explosions. Like other high energy rays, our atmosphere protects us
from gamma rays.
Astronomers have many different types of telescopes at their disposal
to observe the universe in all parts of electromagnetic spectrum. Some
telescopes are ground-based; others are space-based:

Arecibo Spitzer
Hubble Keck
Compton
Properties of Light
1)Light travels in straight lines
2)Light travels much faster than sound
3)We see things because they reflect
light into our eyes
4)Shadows are formed when light is
blocked by an object
Luminous vs. Illuminated
A luminous object is a body that produces its own light
such as the sun or a light bulb.
An illuminated object is a body that reflects light, just like
the moon, people, and buildings.
Some objects, like water and glass, transmit light to some
extent. In order to be seen, light must come from an object one
way or the other.
Sources of Light
COLOUR
• White light is not a single colour; it is made up of a
mixture of the seven colours of the rainbow.

We can demonstrate this by

splitting white light with a
prism:

This is how rainbows are

formed: sunlight is “split up”
by raindrops.
The Colours of the Rainbow:
• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Indigo
• Violet
Primary and Secondary Colors

The primary light colors are Red, Blue, and Green (RGB).
The secondary light colors are Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta.
Combining pigments in painting is exactly the opposite:
The primary pigments are Yellow, Cyan, Magenta.
The secondary pigments are Red, Blue and Green.
Adding colours
• White light can be split up to make separate colours. These colours
can be added together again.
• The primary colours of light are red, blue and green:

Adding blue and red Adding blue and

makes magenta green makes cyan
(purple) (light blue)

Adding red Adding all

and green three makes
makes yellow white again