What Is Light?

SNC2D - Unit 2: Optics

 I can describe
I can describe the
Learning Goals
different forms of
properties of light
light

I can define and

I can describe the
describe different
ways that rays of
ways visible light is
light behave
produced
What Is Light?
Light
▪ Light is made of electromagnetic waves
▪ Electromagnetic Wave: a wave with both electric and magnetic parts
▪ Can travel through empty space (does not need a physical
substance to travel), but can be absorbed by matter
▪ Energy from light can be transferred by radiation (meaning the
energy can travel through empty space)
Waves
▪ Wavelength: distance from one peak to another
▪ Crest: the high point of a wave
▪ Trough: the low point of a wave
▪ Frequency: the number of waves that pass in a given amount of time
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
▪ Electromagnetic Spectrum: the range of all forms of electromagnetic
radiation
▪ We see the visible spectrum of
light
▪ Light travels at a speed of
3.0 x 108 m/s
▪ 299,792,458 m/s
Waves
▪ Each type of electromagnetic wave has its own wavelength
▪ Different wavelengths of light produce different colours of visible light
Wave Strength
▪ Short wavelengths are more powerful than longer wavelengths
Red wavelengths are longer
(7.0 x 10-7 m long). They are
weaker

Violet wavelengths are shorter

(4.0 x 10-7 m long). They are
stronger
Wave Strength
▪ Strength is a function of frequency. Stronger light means more energy
because more waves are passing in an amount of time.
▪ Example - ultraviolet light (used for disinfecting, tanning beds) has a
shorter wavelength and is more
damaging to human cells than
visible light which has a longer
wavelength
▪ Long wavelength = low energy
▪ Short wavelength = high energy
 In Summary…

Long waves Short waves

Long wavelength Short wavelength

Low Frequency High Frequency

Low Energy High Energy

Types of Electromagnetic Light
▪ As our “warm up,” the first few
lessons in the optics unit will
start with a little bit about a
form of electromagnetic light
▪ By the end of lesson 6, you will
have general information about
every form of light and some of
their applications
▪ For today’s featured form of
electromagnetic light… visible
light!
Electromagnetic Light - Visible Light

● Wavelengths detected by the human eye

● All colours of visible light (ROYGBIV) merged together form white light
● When transmitting white light
through a prism, the different
colours will show up on an angled
screen, showing the wavelengths
traveling at their different distances
Visible Light

● When heated, each element

of the periodic table
produces a unique spectrum
of colours (not every colour -
take a look at the photo)
● When you see light, you are
seeing a combination of
different colours to produce
what you see
● Spectrum = all wavelengths of
light produced
Visible Light

● This happens because when we heat an element,

their e- become excited to a higher energy level
(think of orbits from Bohr-Rutherford diagrams)
● When the electrons fall back to their original
energy level, they lose this extra energy they
absorbed and release it as light
● Since each atom has a different arrangement of
electrons and they can fall back in different ways,
different wavelengths of light are emitted!
Visible Light

This is an actual image

of a single atom of
strontium. We are
seeing the light this
atom produces when
its electrons are
excited, fall back to
their original energy
level and release the
energy as light.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a17804899/here-is-a-photo-of-a-singl
e-atom/
Sources of Light
Production of Visible Light

● Light can be produced from 2 types of sources

○ Luminous sources: produce their own light (ie. the Sun)
○ Nonluminous sources: do not produce their own light (ie. the moon
reflecting light from the sun)
Production of Visible Light

● Light sources can produce light in 3 main ways

○ Incandescent: light emitted from a hot source due to temperature
○ Luminescence: light emitted as a result of a chemical reaction
○ Triboluminescence: light produced from friction or crushing
Incandescence

● Incandescence: light produced by a hot

source due to temperature
● Examples
○ Incandescent light bulbs (not very
efficient - 95% of the energy used by the
bulb is used as heat, leaving only 5% of
the energy used for light emission)
○ Hot metals can glow red, orange, yellow
and white depending on their
temperature
Luminescence - Phosphorescence

● Luminescence: light produced as a result of a chemical reaction

○ Phosphorescence: when ultraviolet light is stored and then
re-emitted as visible light over a long period of time
■ Examples
● Glow-in-the-dark
objects
● Paints
● Safety signs
Luminescence - Fluorescence

● Fluorescence: Light produced when ultraviolet light is

stored and then immediately re-emitted as visible
light, often at a variety of different wavelengths
● Examples
○ CFL (compact fluorescent lights) - more efficient
than incandescent light bulbs (80% of energy used
as heat, noticeably cooler)
○ Fluorescent spectroscopy, medical imaging -
different compounds with fluorescent tags bind to
different structures in a cell
Luminescence - Chemiluminescence

● Chemiluminescence: light produced from a

chemical reaction without an increase in
temperature
● Examples
○ Glow sticks
○ Industry, forensics - detect contamination
of biological compounds, impurities in
medication
○ Medical detection of hormones and drugs
in a sample
Luminescence - Bioluminescence

● Bioluminescence: light produced from a

chemical reaction by a living organism
(basically chemiluminescence in an
organism)
● Examples
○ Fireflies
Sadly, the fish
○ Jellyfish isn’t breathing
blue fire. But, it
○ Algae is spitting out
bioluminescent
○ Plankton plankton!

○ Fungi
Luminescence - Electric Discharge

● Electric Discharge: light produced from an electric current passing

through air or a gas
● Examples
○ Neon signs (different gases produce different colours)
○ Lightning
○ Plasma ball
Luminescence - Light-Emitting Diodes

● Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs): light produced when a small electric

current causes semiconductor materials (crystalline solids like silicon,
germanium, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, etc) to emit visible light
● Examples
○ LED light bulbs, strips
○ Christmas lights
Triboluminescence

● Triboluminescence: light produced from friction or crushing

● Examples (and you can try some of these at home)
○ Packing/duct tape being pulled apart
○ Quartz crystals
○ High glucose candies
Behaviour of Light
The Behaviour of Light

● Recall that light is made of electromagnetic waves

● Light waves travel in straight lines from an object to our eye

● A beam of light consists of multiple rays of light:

Parallel Beam Divergent Beam Convergent Beam The arrows on
each line show
the direction of
the ray
The Behaviour of Light

● When a ray of light strikes an object, three things can happen:

○ Transmission
○ Reflection
○ Absorption
The Behaviour of Light

● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:

○ Transmission: process in which light passes through an object and
continues to travel
■ Happens when light strikes transparent or translucent objects
The Behaviour of Light

● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:

○ Reflection: process in which light bounces off of an object
■ Happens with objects with reflective surfaces like mirrors,
metals, white objects
The Behaviour of Light

● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:

○ Absorption: process in which light is retained by an
object and converted into heat (thermal energy)
■ Black objects absorb all wavelengths of light
(why you wear lighter coloured clothing in the
summer to feel cooler)
■ White objects reflect all wavelengths of light
■ Coloured objects selectively absorb some
wavelengths and reflect others
The Behaviour of Light

● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:

○ Absorption: process in which light is retained by an
object and converted into heat (thermal energy)
■ Albedo: the amount of light that a surface
reflects
● Darker colours - lower albedo
● Lighter colours - higher albedo
 Work Time!
● Homework questions are available
under the lesson tab
● These are especially important as
we are starting a unit, you want to
make sure you have the
foundations down so you aren’t lost
going forward