Electromagnetic Spectrum and Visible Light

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Radio Waves. Radios capture radio waves emitted by radio stations. These
waves are also emitted by stars and gases in space.
Microwave. It is used to cook, and used by astronomers to learn about the
structure of nearby galaxies.
Infrared. It is emitted by our skin and objects with heat. It helps map the
dust between stars in space.
Visible. Fireflies, light bulb, and stars emit visible light.
Ultraviolet. It is emitted by the Sun and is hot.
X-ray. It is emitted by hot gases in the Universe.
Gamma Ray. It is used to see inside your body. Universe is the biggest
gamma ray generator.
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Electromagnetic Spectrum and Visible Light

Visible Light
Visible light is the wavelength that is visible to most human eye. It is the light
from 400 to 700 nanometers, the visible spectrum.
Violet – 380 to 450 nm
Blue – 450 to 495 nm
Green – 495 to 570 nm
Yellow – 570 to 590 nm
Orange – 590 to 620 nm
Red – 620 to 750 nm

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Speed of Light
Light Speed
The speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per second (299,792
kilometers per second), and in theory nothing can travel faster than light. In miles
per hour, light speed is about 670,616,629 mph.
Theory of Special Relativity
Einstein's theory of special relativity sets of the speed of light to 186,000
miles per second (300 million meters per second).
Although the speed of light is often referred to as the universe's speed limit,
the universe actually expands even faster. According to astrophysicist Paul Sutter,
the universe expands at roughly 68 kilometers per second per megaparsec.

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Optics
What is Optics?
Optics is a branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light,
including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use
or detect it. It describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light.
Light and its Optical Properties
Light is a form of energy which is in the form of an electromagnetic wave and
is almost everywhere around us. The visible light has wavelengths measuring
between 400–700 nanometers.

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Optics
Classification of Materials
1. Opaque Material – absorbs light, does not let light to pass through
2. Transparent Material – allows light to easily pass through them
3. Translucent Material – allows light to pass through but distorts the light
during passage
Reflection
Light follows the Law of Reflection: “The angle of incidence is equal to the
angle of reflection.”
Ways Light can Bounce off Materials
1. Diffuse Reflection – reflected rays go in different directions
2. Regular Reflection – reflected rays go in one direction
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Optics
Refraction
Light refracts when it changes speed. This usually happens when light travels
from one medium to another. It has a simple rule of thumb that if light:
- slows down, it will refract towards normal lime
- speeds up, it will refract away from normal line
Index of Refraction
Medium Index of Refraction (n)
air 1.000295
water 1.3330
glass 1.493
diamond 2.419

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Optics
Dispersion
The process in which light is separated into its colors due to the differences in
degrees of refraction.
Total Internal Reflection
When light is reflected completely at the boundary between two mediums.
Is Light a Wave or a Particle?
Depending on the phenomenon, light can be treated either as a wave or a
particle.
Young’s Double-Slit Experiment. Light exhibits interference, a property of a
wave.
The Photoelectric Effect. Light is capable
HOME of knocking off electrons, thus, it is a
particle.
Light Sources
Light source can be categorized as: natural source and artificial source.
Natural Sources
1. Sun / Stars – major source of light on Earth
2. Moon – the reflected light from the sun
3. Some Living Organism – bioluminescence, effect of certain chemical
reactions within the organism
4. Natural Phenomena – lightning, volcanic eruption
Artificial Sources
1. Incandescent Source – when an object is heated to high temperature
2. Luminescent Source – when accelerating charges in a luminescent material
3. Gas Discharge Source – when passing electricity through a gas at a very low
pressure
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Light Pressure
What is Light Pressure?
Light pressure is the pressure produced by light on reflecting or absorbing
bodies. The pressure of light was first discovered and measured experimentally
by P. N. Lebedev (1899). Its value, even for the most powerful light sources is
masked by side effects which may be thousands of times greater.
Its Role in Astronomical and Atomic Phenomena
In astrophysics, it provides the stability of stars. Light pressure is essential for
the dynamics of circumstellar and interstellar gas. Light pressure causes
disturbances of the orbits of artificial earth satellites.

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Light Pressure
Light Recoil and Transfer by Gamma Quanta
Light recoil is an atomic effect of light pressure which an excited atom
experiences upon emitting a photon. While a phenomenon closely related to light
pressure is the transfer by gamma quanta of part of their momentum to the
electrons on which they are scattered or to the nuclei of atoms of a crystal in
radiation and absorption processes.

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Theories about Light
Light has been characterized by six major theories:
1. The Tactile Theory
2. The Emission Theory
3. The Corpuscular Theory
4. The Wave Theory
5. The Electromagnetic Theory
6. The Quantum Theory
The Tactile Theory
It states that the eye sends out invisible probes to feel objects.
The Emission Theory
It states that bright objects sends out particles off objects that enters our eyes.
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Theories about Light

The Corpuscular Theory

1. Light consists of very tiny particles known as corpuscular.
2. These corpuscles on emission from the source of light travel in straight line
with high velocity.
3. When these particles enter the eyes, they produce image of the object or
sensation of vision.
4. Corpuscles of different colors have different sizes.

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Theories about Light
The Wave Theory
1. Each point in the light source sends out waves in all directions in hypothetical
medium called ether.
2. Light is a form of energy.
3. Light travels in the form of waves.
4. A medium is necessary for the propagation of waves and the whole space is
filled with an imaginary medium called ether.
5. Light waves have very short wave length.
The Electromagnetic Theory
This theory is a combination of magnetism and light into one theory.

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Theories about Light
The Quantum Theory
Energy radiated or absorbed can not have any fractional value. This energy
must be an integral multiple of a fixed quantity of energy called quantum.
Energy released or absorbed is always in the form of packets of energy known
as quanta or photons.

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