Physical Science

Quarter 2 – Module 7:
Propagation of Light
Physical Science
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 7: Propagation of Light
First Edition, 2020

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Physical Science
Quarter 2 – Module 7:
Propagation of Light
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Physical Science 11/12 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Module on Propagation of Light!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators

both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while
overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in
guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

ii
Welcome to the Physical Science 11/12 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on
Propagation of Light!

The hand is one of the most symbolic parts of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that as a learner,
you are capable and empowered to learn by yourself. Relevant competencies and
skills can be successfully achieved at your own pace and time. Your academic
success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to check what
you already know about the lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correctly (100%), you may decide to skip this module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link the current
lesson with the previous one.
What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to you in
various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the lesson. This

aims to help you discover and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent practice to

solidify your understanding and skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraph to be filled in to
process what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will help you
transfer your new knowledge or skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of

mastery in achieving the learning competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given to

you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
the lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

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 Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the
module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the Propagation of Light. The scope of this module permits it to be used in
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the varied vocabulary
levels of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with
the textbook you are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain the wave and particle models of light.

2. Describe reflection and refraction in terms of the wave and particle models of
light.
3. Explain propagation of light using the wave and particle models.

What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. Who proposed that light is composed of particles that are travelling in a straight
line?
a. Christiaan Huygens
b. Louis de Broglie
c. Max Planck
d. Sir Isaac Newton
2. Which is a disturbance that travels through a medium and carries
energy from one location to another without transporting matter? a.
crest
b. photon
c. trough
d. wave
3. What evidence tells that light is made up of particles travelling in a straight
line?
a. formation of shadows when light hits obstacles
b. inversion of images formed on plane mirrors
c. production of ripples when a penny is dropped to a pond
d. scattering of light rays when they reach a smooth surface

4. What is true of photoelectric effect?

a. Electrons from metals can be dislodged by photons from light.
b. The sun’s light rays travel in waves directly on the electrons of atoms.

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 c. It proves that light is made up of waves that can remove electrons from
metals.
d. Light energy is composed of several colors with their respective amounts
of energy.
5. How is the specific quantity of light that can be absorbed by electrons to
produce photoelectric effect called? a. particle
b. photon
c. wave
d. wavelength
6. What term refers to the bouncing off of light waves when they hit an
obstacle?
a. diffraction
b. reflection
c. refraction
d. transmission
7. What forms when light waves bounce off a mirrored surface? a. image
b. particle
c. photon
d. shadow
8. How is the bending of light waves as they pass from one medium to
another medium with different refractive indices known? a. diffraction
b. reflection
c. refraction
d. transmission
9. What is true about the angle of the reflected ray, R?
a. It is equal to the angle of the incidence ray.
b. It is equal to the sum of the angles of incidence and reflected rays.
c. It is equal to the angle between the incident ray, I, and the plane of
the mirror.
d. It is equal to the angle between the reflected ray, R, and the plane of
the mirror.
10. A student placed a pencil in a glass of water as in the
figure at the right. Why did the pencil appear to be
broken?
a. Light always travels in a straight line.
b. Light makes the water evaporate into the air.
c. Light reflects the pencil on the water’s surface.
d. Light bends when it passes through changing
medium like air and water.
11. What is the speed of light as it propagates through
space?
𝑚 𝑚 𝑚 𝑚
a. 1.0x108 b. 2.0x108 c. 3.0x108 d. 4.0x108
𝑠 𝑠 𝑠 𝑠

12. How are light waves or electromagnetic (EM) spectrum characterized?

a. The crests and amplitudes of the waves are vibrating.
b. It is composed of light waves with equal amounts of energy.
c. The wavelengths and frequencies are the same for all the waves.

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 d. It is composed of alternating magnetic and electric fields that
oscillate perpendicular to each other
13. Which is true among the following statements about the properties of
light waves?
a. The frequency is proportional to the energy.
b. The frequency is proportional to the amplitude.
c. The wavelength is proportional to the frequency.
d. The energy of light waves is proportional to the wavelength.
14. How does absorption of light waves happen?
a. When refracted light rays pass through from less dense to
denser medium
b. When images are formed due to bouncing off of light waves
from smooth surface
c. When the energy of vibration is translated to neighbouring
atoms that results to reemission of light
d. When incident light has the same frequency of vibration as that
of the electrons in the object’s atoms
15. Why do most leaves appear green to our sight?
a. All the colours of white light are absorbed by the leaves.
b. The colours of the light are scattered by the molecules of the green
leaves.
c. Most of the colours of incident white light are reflected from the
leaves except green.
d. The colours of white light are absorbed by the leaves and green
waves are reflected.

Lesson Propagation of Light

(Reflection and Refraction) as
1 Explained by the Wave and
Particle Models
What is true of light, is it a wave or a flow of extremely small particles? This has
been the debate of scientists for so long.
Newton concluded in 1700 that light was a group of particles (corpuscular theory)
but at the same time others thought that it was a wave (wave theory). Light travels
in a straight line so Newton believed that it was a flow of particles coming from a
light source. However, it cannot explain wave-like phenomenon such as diffraction
and interference. On the other hand, the wave theory cannot explain why photons
fly out of metal that is exposed to light (known as the photoelectric effect) which
was discovered at the end of the 19th century. In this manner, the great physicists
have continued to debate and demonstrate the true nature of light over the
centuries.

In this lesson, you will learn the different evidences that proved light can propagate
either as a wave or a particle. This lesson will help you understand how light

3
behaves as a wave and as a particle. A better understanding of reflection and
refraction of light will be gained after going through this module.

What’s In

This simple activity will help you recall what you understood about the views of
Rene Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton on the emergence of colors of light.

Notes to the Teacher

1. This module will help the students remember the views of Rene
Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton on the emergence of colors of light through prisms.
2. Allow the students to answer each part thoroughly, either individually
or in pairs.
3. Let the students check the answers to each part. Have a short discussion
of the concepts involved after checking.
4. The students will then move to the next part of the module. They will
have the feedback and discussion after every part.
5. Inputs can be given in addition to the discussion in this module.
6. Kindly entertain questions for further discussions.

Directions: Part A. Look for the different words associated with the views on the
emergence of colors of light in the Word Search puzzle. You can find them by
running through the words horizontally, vertically, diagonally, going to the right,
going to the left, downward, and upward. Write a straight line across each word.
Copy the organizer in your answer sheet and use it to categorize the words found in
the grids under Descartes and Newton.
Descartes Newton

Note: A photocopy of the puzzle will be given to each student.

Emergence of Colours of Light

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Part B. Read the article on the emergence of colors of light as viewed by Rene
Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton. Answer the questions and write your answers on
your answer sheet.
Rene Descartes was the first who studied and explained the concept of refraction.
He used a spherical glass filled with water and sunlight to produce a rainbow. He
explained that refraction brought about the formation of rainbows. He then used a
prism to observe the emergence of colors of light.
He also explained the emergence of colors of light through the concept of the
plenum, the invisible substance that permeated the universe. He visualized that the
plenum was made of tiny rotating balls with the same speed. Light travelled
through this plenum. As the plenum reached the edge of a prism, the balls changed
their rotational speeds resulting to the emergence of colors.

Sir Isaac Newton also studied the emergence of colors of light through a prism. He
stated that the difference in refraction was due to the differences in the mass of the
colors of light.
Particles of matter also exert equal force to the particles of light. The colors of light
with different mass and inertia will be deflected at varying degrees.
When they passed through an interface of matter, light particles with great mass
and inertia are deflected less when acted upon by the same force of matter.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/physical-science/82-the-
emergence-of light- newton-and-descartes/3239968929352643/
Questions to answer:

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1. Which of the following describes how Rene Descartes viewed the nature of light?
a. Light is a wave.
b. Light is composed of nothing.
c. Light is composed of particles.
d. Light is composed of corpuscles.
2. Which of the following describes how Sir Isaac Newton viewed the nature of
light?
a. Light is a wave.
b. Light is indivisible
c. Light is composed of particles.
d. Light is composed of white particles.
3. What material did Descartes use as a model of a raindrop to study the
occurrence of a rainbow?
a. prism c. water-filled glass cube
b. vacuum d. water-filled glass sphere
4. Which of the following describes the very fine substance that Descartes believed
where light travels on?
a. The very fine substance is composed of tiny balls.
b. The very fine substance is composed of tiny particles.
c. The very fine substance is composed of tiny bits of paper.
d. The very fine substance is composed of tiny specks of dusts.
5. Which of the following describes the force that the particles of a matter exert to
the particles of light?
a. The forces that the particles of a matter exert to the particles of
light are of equal amounts.
b. The forces that the particles of a matter exert to the particles of
light are of varying amounts.
c. The forces that the particles of a matter exert to the particles of
light are of different amounts.
d. The forces that the particles of a matter exert to the particles of
light have no significant amount.
6. Which of the following describes how the colors of light emerge through prism
according to Descartes?
I. The light colors emerge upon passing a prism due to the difference
in the mass of the colors of light.
II. The difference in the inertia of the colors causes the difference of
deflection of each which leads to their emergence upon passing a
prism.
III. The light colors emerge when light particles change the speed of
rotation of the tiny balls that compose the very fine substance where
light travels on.
IV. Upon passing through the slit on the edge of a prism, the tiny
balls on the slit start to rotate, and this rotation causes a change in
the speed of rotation of the neighboring balls, and this change
produces color.
a. I and II c. III and IV
b. II and III d. I and IV
7. Which of the following describes how colors of light emerge through prism
according to Newton?
I. Upon passing through the slit on the edge of a prism, the tiny balls
on the slit start to rotate, and this rotation causes a change in
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 the speed of rotation of the neighboring balls and this change
produces color.
II. The light colors emerge when light particles change the speed of
rotation of the tiny balls that compose the very fine substance where
light travels on.
III. The light colors emerge upon passing a prism due to the difference
in the mass of the colors of light.
IV. The difference in the inertia of the colors causes the difference of
deflection of each which leads to their emergence upon passing a
prism.
a. I and II b. II and III c. III and IV d. II and IV 8. According to Newton,
which of the following statements is true?
a. Red deflected the most because it has the most mass.
b. Red deflected the most because it has the least mass.
c. Violet deflected the most because it has the most mass.
d. Violet deflected the most because it has the least mass.
9. Which of the following is true about the mass and inertia of the colors of light?
a. The mass of a color of light does not affect its inertia.
b. The greater the mass of a color of light, the lesser is its inertia.
c. The lesser the mass of a color of light, the greater is its inertia.
d. The greater the mass of a color of light, the greater is its inertia.
10. Arrange the following colors of light according to increasing amount of
deflection when light passes through a prism.
I. blue II. green III. orange IV. Yellow
A. I, II, III, IV
B. IV, II, III, I
C. III, IV, II, I
D. I, IV, III, I

What’s New

Activity 1: Dual Property of Light (A Wave and a Particle)

Analyze the pictures about an experiment showing a beam of monochromatic
(single color) light being focused on a screen with two slits. Two things can
happen to the light beam as shown in the pictures, Fig. A and Fig. B.

Fig. A Fig. B

1. Describe what happens to the beam of light as it passes through the slits
in both figures.

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 2. Describe the kind of images formed by light after passing through the two
slits.
3. How does the beam of light behave in both cases?
4. What can be concluded about the nature of light as described in the two
pictures?

Activity 2: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Refer to the figures to explain how reflection and refraction are explained by the
wave and particle models of light. Fill up with the appropriate word/s to give
meaning to the paragraphs that follow. Choose from among the words inside the
box to complete each sentence.
refraction force spread changes
bend bounce off slower wavefront
interface reversed particles smooth

Reflection and refraction are phenomena that are well-explained by the behaviors
of light. When a source emits light, its dual property can be observed in different
circumstances.
Light, as waves, 1) __________ in all directions when emitted. Upon
impacting a smooth, specular surface, such as a mirror, these waves 2) __________
or reflect according to the arrival angles. The waves turn back to front as they
reflect producing a 3) __________ image.
On the otherhand, light can also arrive at the mirror surface as a stream of
4) ____________. Since these are very tiny, a huge number are involved in a
propagating light beam. Upon arriving a 5) __________ surface, the particles bounce
off in different points so their order in the beam is reversed resulting to a reversed
image.
A beam of light undergoes 6) __________ when it travels between two media
with different refractive indices.
Light, as waves, 7) __________ direction upon passing from first medium to
second medium. A small portion of each angled 8) ___________ should impact the
second medium before the rest of the front reaches the 9) ___________. This part will
travel along the second medium while the rest of the waves is still travelling in the
first medium. Movement will be 10) __________ through the second medium due to
higher refractive index. Since the wavefronts are travelling at different speeds, light
will 11) ___________ into the second medium, thus, changing the angle of
propagation.
Refracting particles of light should also change direction upon passing
between two media. It is suggested in this theory that a special 12) _________
directed perpendicular to the interface acts to change the speed of the particles as
they enter the second medium, resulting to bending of light particles.

8
Activity 3: Propagation of Light
Directions: Describe what happens to the beam of light in each of the instances.
Match each illustration in Column A with the corresponding description on
Column B. Write the letters on your answer sheet.
Column A Column B

1.

A. When light is incident on surfaces,

it can be reflected, absorbed, or
transmitted.

2.

B. Light rays that fall on opaque objects

are absorbed by the substances and
appear black.
3. C. Sunlight bumps into a mixture of
particles in the atmosphere. Scattering
of the component wavelengths depends
on the size of the particles. This gives
rise to the colors that we see in the sky.

4. D. Light waves are incident on a leaf.

All the colors of white light (ROY-G-BIV
except green) are absorbed by the
surface. As such, green is reflected to
our eyes. This is the reason why this
leaf appears green.

5.

E. The colors of light incident on a

transparent material will pass through
the object completely.

Column A Column B

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6. F. Light consists of two waves oscillating
perpendicular to one another. One of the
waves is magnetic field while the other one
is electric field. It propagates through space
at a speed of 299,792,458 metres per second
(3.0 x 108 m ). s
7.

G. When the colors of light incident on a

surface are reflected the object appears
white.

8.

H. Light rays that fall on smooth surfaces

bounce off or reflect with equal angles of
incidence and reflection.

9. I. White light, the visible part of the

electromagnetic spectrum consists of colors,
namely red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet. This has an acronym
ROY-G-BIV. When it passes through a
prism, they are dispersed or split into its
component colors with different
wavelengths.
10.
J. The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is
composed of light waves with different
wavelengths and frequencies.
The wave components of the EM carry
varying amounts of energy.

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 What is It

This section gives brief and thorough explanation about the wave and particle models of
light, how reflection and refraction are explained using the two models, the laws of
reflection and refraction, drawing ray diagrams of reflection on mirrors, and describing
images formed by plane, concave, and convex mirrors.

Activity 1: Dual Property of Light (A Wave and a Particle)

Light can behave both as a wave and as a particle. As particles, they travel in
straight lines, thus, producing shadows when they hit an obstruction.
It is also the reason why light bounces off or reflects off of mirrors. Refraction is
alsobrought about by light particles when they traverse through media or
materials ofdifferent refractive indices. It is thought that opposing forces pull the
particles of light from and into the medium resulting to changes of their direction.
The photo-electric effect is also an evidence that light behaves as particles. When
light with enough energy falls or hits a metal, electrons are dislodged or knocked
off from it to produce a positive (+) metal surface. The amount of light energy
(known as photon) contains a fixed amount of energy or quantum that depends on
the frequency of the light.
Light also acts as a wave. It has the ability to diffract or bend around an object.
Diffraction involves a change in direction of waves when they pass from an
opening or around obstacles along their path. Refraction happens when light
waves change direction as they travel through materials of different refractive
indices, say water and air. Light waves also undergo interference, the
phenomenon that occurs when two waves meet while traveling along the same
medium.

Activity 2: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Reflection and refraction are phenomena that are well-explained by the behaviors
of light. When a source emits light, its dual property can be observed in different
circumstances.
Light, as waves, spread in all directions when emitted. Upon impacting a
smooth, specular surface, such as a mirror, these waves bounce off or reflect
according to the arrival angles. The waves turn back to front as they reflect
producing a reversed image.
On the otherhand, light can also arrive at the mirror surface as a stream of
particles. Since these are very tiny, a huge number are involved in a propagating
light beam. Upon arriving a smooth surface, the particles bounce off in different
points so their order in the beam is reversed resulting to a reversed image.
A beam of light undergoes refraction when it travels between two media with
different refractive indices.
Light, as waves, changes direction upon passing from first medium to second
medium. A small portion of each angled wavefront should impact the second
medium before the rest of the front reaches the interface. This part will travel along
the second medium while the rest of the waves is still travelling in the first medium.

11
Movement will be slower through the second medium due to higher refractive index.
Since the wavefronts are travelling at different speeds, light will bend into the
second medium, thus, changing the angle of propagation.
Refracting particles of light should also change direction upon passing between two
media. It is suggested in this theory that a special force directed perpendicular to
the interface acts to change the speed of the particles as they enter the second
medium, resulting to bending of light particles.
Reflection produces different types of images depending on what kind of surface
light strikes on. Usually, the study on images is carried out using mirrors as the
reflecting surface. Mirrors can be palnar, concave, or convex.
Plane mirrors consist of perfectly flat surface with no distortions and reflect
100% of the light that strikes them back at a predictable angle.
Concave and convex mirrors have reflective surfaces that curve inward and
outward, respectively.
Concave mirrors are known as converging mirrors because light is focused at
a point as it strikes and reflects back from the reflecting surface.
Convex mirrors are diverging mirrors because as light strikes and bounces back it
spreads over a required region.
Plane mirrors produce images that are same size as the object, laterally inverted
(left becomes right and right becomes left), upright, virtual, and as far behind the
mirror as the object is in front. Virtual images are formed due to imaginary
intersection of light rays and cannot be formed on the screen.

Concave and convex mirrors are parts of spherical mirrors with reflecting
surfaces going inward and outward, respectively.
Convex mirrors always produce images that are located behind the mirror,
virtual, upright, and reduced in size.

As the object distance from the mirror is decreased, the image distance is
also decreased and the image size is increased.
Concave mirrors produce images that depend on the location of the object.
At several locations different characteristics of images can be observed. The images
formed can be located somewhere between the center of curvature (C) and the focal
point (F), at C, beyond C, and somewhere on the opposite side of the mirror. At
times, no images are formed by the mirror. Images can be inverted or upright,
smaller, bigger, or the same size as the object, and real or virtual.

12
 Activity 3: Propagation of Light
Light is an electromagnetic radiation that travels through space as vibrating
or oscillating waves. It is composed of alternating electric and magnetic fields that
oscillate perpendicular to each other to the direction of propagation. It travels at a
speed of 3.0x108 𝑚 through a vacuum.
𝑠
The electromagnetic spectrum (EM) is composed of waves with varying
frequencies, thus, carrying different amounts of energy. The figure below shows
the EM spectrum and the corresponding wavelengths of each wave.

The wavelength is inversely proportional to the amount of energy or

frequency it carries. Longer wavelengths have lower frequencies than those with
shorter wavelengths. The frequency is directly proportional to the amount of energy
carried by a particular wave. Part of this EM is the visible light (known as white
𝑚
light) which is seen by our naked eye. Light wave travels at a speed of 3.0x108
𝑠
through a vacuum. The speed of light varies when it passes and refracts through
different media. The index of refraction of a material can be determined by the ratio
𝑐
, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum while v is the speed of light in a
𝑣
particular medium. When light passes through a material with higher index of
refraction, its speed is slower. There are more matter that scatters light in this
material making light moves slower. Water scatters more light than air, so light
energy moves slower in water than in air.
Once propagated, the colours of white light vibrate at different frequencies and can
be dispersed when they strike water droplets suspended in the air or through a
prism. White light is then split into the colours ROY-G-BIV (red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet).
The speed of each colour of white light depends on the wavelength of each wave.
The waves with longer wavelengths such as red, orange, and yellow propagate
faster than blue, indigo, and violet which have shorter wavelengths. Due to their
speed, refraction and dispersion are affected when they enter into a prism or
droplet of water in the air. Red is refracted the least and blue is refracted the most.
This is the reason why red is always seen on top of a rainbow while blue is always
at the bottom.
When light is incident on a surface, it can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted.
Light rays that fall on smooth surfaces bounce off with equal angles of incidence
and reflection, producing images that our eyes can perceive. Absorption of light
depends on the frequency of the electrons of atoms present in the objects. If the
frequency of a light wave is the same as the frequency of the electrons in the object,

13
light energy will be set in vibrating motion and eventually be absorbed. During
vibration, the electrons interact with neighbouring atoms converting the vibrational
energy into heat (thermal) energy, never again to be released as light energy. This
happens during photosynthesis where light energy is absorbed by the leaves and
converted into heat energy.
Selective absorption of light by a certain material happens because the frequency
of the light wave matches the frequency at which electrons in the atoms of that
material vibrate.
Reflection and transmission happens when the frequencies of the light waves
do not match the natural frequencies of vibration of objects. Upon light incidence,
the electrons of the atoms vibrate for a short period of time with small amplitudes
of vibration. Light energy is then reemitted as a light wave.
If the object is transparent, then vibration of the electrons are passed on to
neighbouring atoms through the material and reemitted on the opposite side of the
object. The light frequencies are then said to be transmitted through the object.
Light rays are selectively absorbed by materials and the reflected rays reach our
eyes as the colour of the object. The object appears black when all the colours of
the visible light are absorbed. On the other hand, white is seen when all the colours
of light are reflected.
Light waves also experience scattering when they bump mixtures of particles
along the path of propagation. The component wavelengths of light vary in sizes.
The size of the particles suspended in the air also varies. If the size of atmospheric
particles are small, only light with smaller wavelengths are scattered while light
with longer wavelengths are scattered by bigger particles in the air. Since the
particulates are small, then blue light is scattered more than red or orange due to
its shorter wavelength. This is the reason why the sky is blue during daytime. At
sunrise and sunset, the sun is low at the horizon. Light travels through more
molecules in the air. The dense atmosphere scatters more blue or violet light out of
our line of sight. The rest of the colours travel and reach our eyes as yellow, orange,
and red.

What’s More

Activity 1.1 Solve the following problems completely on your answer sheet.
A. Apply Snell’s Law to solve the angle of refraction, given the following
diagrams and values. Draw the refracted ray, using broken lines with arrow ( )
in each of the examples. Use the protractor to measure the angles of refraction in
each case.

1. 2.

Θi = 450 θi = 600

14
B. Calculate the speed of light in zircon, a material used in jewelry to imitate
𝑚
diamond. (c = 3.0 x 108 𝑠 , nZircon= 1.923)

C. The speed of light in an unknown medium is 1.76 × 10 8 m/s. Calculate the

𝑚
refractive index of the medium. (c = 3.0 x 108 )
𝑠

What Have I Learned

1. Explain how light behaves as a wave and as a particle.
2. How are reflection and refraction explained by the wave and particle
models of light?
3. State the laws of reflection and refraction.
4. What is the speed of light in a vacuum?
5. Draw the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum and label its parts.
6. How do objects appear when all of the colors of light are absorbed?
Reflected? Selectively absorbed?
7. Why do clouds look white?

What I Can Do

Knowledge of concepts is not enough for a learning experience to be meaningful. We

should also understand how the concepts we learned on the propagation of light
can be applied to real life situations to get the most out of what we learned. Let us
look at this simple situation that will help us realize the advantage of fully
understanding propagation of light.
Situation:
Suppose you are with a group of researchers out in a forested area. Suddenly the
rain poured and there was zero visibility in the place. You want to help your
companions out in the woods to find the right path to the lodging area. One thing that
came to your mind is to flash waves of light so that they could see where you are.
What color of light are you going to use and why?

Assessment

15
Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet
of paper.
1. In what ways can light’s behaviour be described?
a. Curve and linear motions
b. Projectile motion
c. Waves and particles
d. Waves and shadows
2. What are knocked off when light photons strike metal surfaces?
a. Electrons
b. Neutrons
c. Positrons
d. Protons
3. What do light particles not able to exhibit as they move along obstacles or
slits?
a. Diffraction c. Photoelectric effect
b. Doppler effect d. Refraction
4. How does refraction happen when light rays travel in a straight line from
air until it encounters another medium like water?
a. The speed of light will be slower as it enters water, making the angle
of refraction (θr) smaller than the angle of incidence (θi).
b. The angle of refraction (θr) will be bigger than the angle of incidence
(θi) because light will travel faster as it enters water.
c. Light rays will refract at a smaller angle because light rays will travel
faster in water.
d. Light rays will refract at a bigger angle because light rays will travel
slower in water.
5. What is the angle of reflection made by light that is incident at 10o on the
mirror, as shown in the figure below?

a. 100
b. 80 0
c.
900
0

d.
110
6. A light ray passes from water into air. The angle that the light makes with
the normal in air is 440. The indices of refraction for both water and
air are given in the diagram. What angle does the light ray make with the

normal as it approaches the boundary from the water?

a. 29.70
b. 30.0 0

c. 31.5 0

d. 58.50

16
Use your understanding of selective absorption of light waves to answer #s 7- 9.
7. A sheet of paper is illuminated with white light (ROYGBIV) as shown in
the figure. It is capable of absorbing ROYBIV. What color does the paper
reflect and what is the color of the paper?

Illuminated
with ROYGBIV
a. green, blue
b. green, green
c. green, red
d. green, yellow

Paper capable
of absorbing
ROYBIV

8. What colour/s of pigment are seen when it is capable of absorbing

ROGBIV light waves?

R
O PIGMENT a. green
Y b. reddish-green
G c. yellow
B d. yellow-orange
I
V

9. What colour/s of pigment are seen when it is capable of absorbing R light

waves?

PIGMENT
a. blue
R b. bluish-yellow
G c. greenish-blue
B d. orange

10. What phenomenon happens when the frequency of incident light does
not match the vibrational frequency of the electrons in the atoms of a
transparent material, such that light energy is reemitted on the opposite
side of the same material?
a. absorption c. refraction
b. dispersion d. transmission
11. Rainbow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when there are
sunlight and drizzles of rain. What interaction happens to produce such
a scenery? a. Drizzles of water trap heat energy from light and convert
it to rainbow.
b. The colours of sunlight are split by molecules of water and change it
to heat energy.
17
 c. Water droplets serve as the transparent material where light energy
passes through.
d. Light waves pass through droplets of water which disperse light into
the colours of the rainbow.
12. Light waves bump mixtures of particles in the air upon their
propagation. Which among the following statements is true when this
happens?
a. Small particles in the air scatter blue waves most so we see the
sky as blue.
b. Big particulates in the air scatter blue waves most so we see
the sky as white and blue.
c. Light waves with longer wavelengths are scattered the most, so
we see the sky as blue.
d. Red waves are scattered more by small particles in the air, so
we see red colour during sunset.
13. White light is separated into its component colours when directed to
a prism because the different colours bend
a. away from the normal line at different angles.
b. away from the normal at same speed to each other.
c. towards the normal line at different angles.
d. towards the normal line at same speed to each other.
14. Why is red colour always seen on top while blue is at the bottom of a
rainbow?
a. Blue has a short wavelength so it moves faster and refracted
the most by droplets of water in the atmosphere.
b. Blue has a long wavelength so it moves faster and refracted the
most by water droplets in the air.
c. Red has a short wavelength so it moves faster and refracted the
least by droplets of water in the atmosphere.
d. Red has a long wavelength so it moves faster and refracted the
least by water droplets in the air.
15. Light waves that are absorbed are transformed into heat energy. This
is no longer reemitted as light energy. In which of the following processes
is sunlight absorbed and transformed into heat energy?
a. metabolism c. respiration
b. photosynthesis d. transpiration

Additional Activities

This part will test whether you fully understand the propagation of light as
explained by the wave and particle models. This will also gauge how much
knowledge you gained about reflection and refraction of light. You can answer this
by recalling the concepts discussed and skills acquired earlier in this module.

1. Use Snell’s law

to solve for the angle of
incidence of light rays in
the given situation.
18
2. The refractive index of medium A is 1.2, while that of medium B is 1.36.
Through which medium does light travel faster and at what speed does it travel?

3. The appearance of a transparent object is dependent upon what color(s) of

light is/are incident upon the object and what color(s) of light is/are transmitted
through the object. Express your understanding of transmission of color(s) of light
upon transparent objects. What color of the paper will appear to an observer.

What’s In (Part A and Part B)

19
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