How does light travel?
“Light travels in the quickest path between
two points.” - What does this mean?
Light travels in a straight line.
How can we show this using a torch?
What Is Light?
In this Powerpoint presentation:
1) Properties of light
2) Colors
3) Reflection
4) Refraction
Properties of Light
Light travels in straight lines:
Laser
Light travels much faster than sound. For example:
1) Thunder and lightning
start at the same time,
but we will see the
lightning first.
2) When a starting pistol
is fired we see the
smoke first and then
hear the bang.
Light travels VERY FAST – about
300,000 kilometers per second or
186,000 miles per second.
At this speed light
could travel the
equivalent of 8 times
around the world in
one second!
Light travels in waves
A wave is a disturbance that transfers
energy from place to place.
What characteristics do light
waves have?
Light waves are like other kinds of waves.
They have crests, troughs, wavelength,
frequency and speed. However, light waves
are electromagnetic! Light waves have a
component that is electric and magnetic!!
We see things because they
reflect light into our eyes! This
is literally the only way we get to
see things! ALL objects we see
either create light or reflect
light!!
Homework
Electromagnetic Radiation
•Light is a form of energy called
Electromagnetic Radiation -
Electromagnetic Radiation comes from the sun and
other sources
•Travels at the speed of light
•Is mostly invisible
•Carries energy
•Is VERY important to society and is something YOU
can’t be without for many reasons
Properties of Light summary
1) Light travels in straight lines and is a form of
energy
2) Light travels much faster (a million times faster!)
than sound
3) We see things because they reflect light into our
eyes
4) Visible light is only a small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum; the other parts are
invisible to the human eye but not necessarily
the eyes of other animals.
Part 2 - Reflection and
Mirrors
Regular vs. Diffuse Reflection
Smooth, shiny surfaces
have a regular
reflection:
Rough, dull surfaces have
a diffuse reflection.
Diffuse reflection is when
light is scattered in
different directions
Refraction
•Refraction is when waves speed up or slow down due to
travelling in a different medium
•A medium is something that light waves will travel
through
•Light rays are slowed down by the water
•Causes the ruler to look bent at the surface
• The mediums in this example are water and air
The degree that light bends when it enters a
new medium is called the “index of refraction”
Light hitting
Light hitting at an
straight on is
angle is bent
not bent
Review of Refraction
1. Light rays slow down when they enter a new
medium
2. Refraction can cause light rays to change
their direction
3. All transparent materials have their own
“index of refraction”
Color
White light is not a single color; it is made up of a
mixture of the seven colors 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 colors of the rainbow:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Part 2 - Reflection and
Mirrors
Reflection from a mirror:
Normal
Incident ray Reflected ray
Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection
Mirror
The Law of Reflection
Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection
In other words, light gets reflected from a surface at
____ _____ angle it hits it.
The
same !!!
