Chapter 5

The Nature of Light

Light is a type of energy that travels by

electromagnetic waves.
An electromagnetic wave (EM) consists of
electric and magnetic fields that vibrate
at right angles to each other.
Remember, electromagnetic waves do not
need a medium. It can travel through
empty space or matter, and consists of
changing electric and magnetic fields.

A field exists around certain objects and can

exert a force on an object without touching it.
FIELDS ARE NOT MADE OF MATTER
Example- The earths gravitational force


An electric field surrounds every charged

object. The electric field around an object pulls

oppositely charged objects toward it and repels
like-charged objects.
Example Static Electricity


A magnetic field surrounds every magnet.


Radiation is the transfer of energy as

electromagnetic waves.
Think about This:
The speed of light is about 300,000,000 m/s.
Light travels about 880,000 times faster than
sound.
If you could run at the speed of light, you could
travel around the earth 7.5 times in 1 second.
Thats Fast!!!!

In case you were wondering, it takes

about 8.3 minutes for light to travel from
the sun to Earth. The Earth is
approximately 93 million miles from the
sun.
Only a small amount of energy is given off
by the sun when it reaches Earth. Most of
the suns energy is lost in space.

5-2
Electromagnetic Spectrum

The entire range of EM waves is called the
electromagnetic spectrum.

The electromagnetic spectrum is divided
into regions according to the length of the
wave.

Long Wave Length Short Wave Length or

Low Frequency- High Frequency


Radio waves have some of the longest

wavelengths and lowest frequencies of all

EM waves. Radio waves are any EM wave
that has wavelengths longer than 30 cm.
Modulation is changing amplitude or
frequency.
AM radio waves have longer wavelengths
than FM radio waves. However, FM radio
waves are less affected by electrical noise.


Microwaves have shorter wavelengths and

higher frequencies that radio waves.
Microwaves are used to send information
over long distances.
Example Cellular Phones, Radar

Infrared waves have shorter wavelengths and

higher frequencies than microwaves do.

Visible light is the very narrow range of

wavelengths and frequencies in the
electromagnetic spectrum that humans can
see.
White light is visible light of all wavelengths.
Examples- lamps, fluorescent bulbs, visible
light from the sun.

Humans see the different wavelengths of visible

light as different colors. The longest wavelength
is red light and the shortest is violet light.
The range of colors is called the visible spectrum.
ROY G. BIV

Ultraviolet light is produced by the sun.

Ultraviolet light affects your body in both good
and bad ways.
Bad

Sunburn

Skin Cancer

Wrinkles

Eye Damage
Good

Kills bacteria on food and surgical tools

Small amounts cause skin cells to produce
Vitamin D-allows intestines to absorb Calcium

X-rays and gamma rays have some of the

shortest wavelengths and highest
frequencies of all EM waves.
X-rays can pass through many materials.
X-rays cannot pass through lead
Gamma rays can penetrate most materials
easily and are used to treat some forms of
cancer. Some healthy cells may be killed
during process.

5.3

Reflection happens when light waves bounce
off an object. Light reflects off surfaces
the same way a ball bounces off the ground.

Law of Reflection The angle of incidence is

equal to the angle of reflection.
Incidence is the arrival of a beam of light at
a surface. Pg 146

Beam of light
traveling
toward the mirror.

The line perpendicular

to the mirrors surface
is called the normal.

Regular reflection occurs when light beams are

reflected at the same angle. Your eyes detect the
reflected beams and you can see a reflection on
the surface.

Diffuse reflection occurs when light beams reflect

at many different angles. You cant see a
reflection because not all of the reflected light is
directed towards your eye.

Regular Reflection
vs.
Diffuse Reflection

Objects that produce visible light are called

luminous.
A visible object that is not a light source but you
can still see because the reflection of light
travels to your eyes is illuminated.
Absorption is the transfer of energy carried by
light waves to particles of matter. The farther
the light travels the more of it is absorbed.

Scattering is an interaction of light with matter

that causes light to change direction after
colliding with particles of matter.
Why is the sky blue?
Light with shorter wavelengths is scattered more
than light with longer wavelengths. Sunlight is
made up of many different colors of light but
blue light has very short wavelengths and is
scattered more than any other color. When you
look at the sky, you see a background of blue
light.

Refraction is the bending of a wave as it passes

between two substances in which the speed of
the wave differs. Ex- Rainbows (colors disperse)
Refraction of light occurs because the speed of
light varies depending on the material that the
wave travels through. Pg 149

Diffraction is the bending of waves around barriers

or through openings.
Interference happens when two or more waves
overlap that results in a single wave.
Overlapping waves combine by constructive and
destructive interference.

5.4

Transmission is the passing of light through

matter. All of the light that reaches your eyes is
transmitted through air.

Transmission-Reflection-Absorption
Light is transmitted , reflected, and absorbed
when it strikes the glass in a window.


Matter through which visible light is easily

transmitted is called transparent.
Examples- air, glass, and water

Translucent matter transmits light but also

scatters the light as it passes through the matter.
Example - wax paper
Matter that does not transmit any light is called
opaque.
Examples wood, metal, your book

How We See Color

Humans see different wavelengths of light as
different colors. Humans see long wavelengths
as red and short wavelengths as violet. Some
colors, like pink and brown are seen when
certain combinations of wavelengths are
present.
So, the color that an object appears to be is
determined by the wavelengths of light that
reach your eye. Your eyes send signals to your
brain and is interpreted into colors.

Primary colors - red, blue, and green.

When two primary colors of light are added
together, you see a secondary color of light.
Secondary colors:
Cyan (blue plus green)
Magenta (blue plus red)
Yellow ( red plus green)