PHYSICAL QUARTER 2 - MELC

PHOTO
SCIENCE

N
THEORY OF
LIGHT
PRESENTED BY THE GROUP
6
BACKGROUND INFORMATION PHYSICAL
FOR LEARNERS SCIENCE
One of the important human senses is the sense of
sight. With your sense of sight, you can see how
beautiful this world is. More so, almost all your
activities are dependent on your ability to see. But
what really makes you see things aside from your
sense of sight? Well, it is the visible light that makes
you see things around you. Nonetheless, there is
more to light than meets the eye.
At the beginning of 20th century,
scientists began doubting the wavelike
nature of light. They had found pieces of
evidence suggesting that light was not
really a wave, but more like a particle

In 1900, Max Planck

introduced his
postulates to explain
blackbody radiation.
 PHYSICS
A blackbody is a
surface or object
that can absorb all SCIENCE
radiation falling on
Now, when you speak of
it. Planck suggested energy being quantized, it
that energy comes in means that it does not
discrete units called exist through a
continuous range of
quanta.
amounts, but as
“something whole.”
STAIRWAYS, CHAIRS, AND TABLES
ARE EXAMPLES OF QUANTIZED
OBJECTS-IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR
THESE OBJECTS TO HAVE HALF
VALUES. YOU DO NOT SAY ½ (ONE-
HALF) CHAIR, INSTEAD YO SAY ONE
CHAIR.
 PHOTON THEORY OF PHYSICS
LIGHT
Scientists started to question the wave-like nature
of light upon the discovery of the photoelectric
effect. The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon
which describes the way electrons are excited and
emitted from matter when they absorb the energy
from light. For a while, scientists believed that the
electrons were just absorbing the energy in the light
wave, and then using that energy to jump out of the
metal. The greater energy the electrons could
absorb, the greater energy they could use to jump
 PHOTON THEORY OF PHYSICS
LIGHT
With this, the scientists tried increasing the intensity
of the lights on the metal. They figured out that a
greater light intensity would give more energy to the
electrons, making them jump from the metal to a
higher energy level, but that did not happen at all!
What happened was that the electrons were emitted
at the same energy level as before; there were just
more of them. Scientists then recognized that their
theory is inaccurate, because if light was really a
wave, the one that should have increased is the
 PHOTON THEORY OF PHYSICS
LIGHT
The electrons were not absorbing energy in a
way that matched the wave theory of light. So,
if light was not really a wave, then what could
it be? Albert Einstein formulated a good
answer to this problem. He made use of
Planck’s concept to address the problem of the
photoelectric effect. He theorized that light is
composed of bundles of wave energy called as
photons, in agreement with Planck’s findings.
PHOTON
AND ITS ENERGY

ENERGY
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
The photoelectric effect was explained by the
photon theory. The theory claims that light is a
stream of moving photons. The number of photons
in the stream determines if the intensity of light -
whether the light is dim or intense. A high intensity
light has too many photons, while a low-intensity
light has only a few photons. So in analogy, it is
just like saying, if there is only a single firefly (1
firefly = 1 photon), the light produced is dim. But if
there are several fireflies, then a bright light can
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
A photon is nearly a massless particle carrying a
small amount of energy. Photons are used to
quantify or measure the amount of the energy in
light and other electromagnetic waves.
Furthermore, photons carry quanta which can be
transferred to atoms and molecules when photons
are absorbed. Based on the frequency of the
electromagnetic radiation, chemists can examine
the different parts of an atom or molecule's
structure using different kinds of spectroscopy.
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
With enough energy, photons in the
UV or visible ranges of the EM
spectrum can excite electrons. If the
electrons go back to their ground
states, photons will be given off, and
the atom or molecule will emit visible
light of specific frequencies (Khan
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
At any particular fixed frequency, all the
photons would have the same energy. In the
photoelectric effect, there is an interaction
taking place between photon and electron, in
which the photon is absorbed and gives up all if
its energy. A single photon can excite only one
electron at a time. When the intensity of light is
increased, then the number of photons that can
interact with the electrons is also increased,
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
The energy given up by each photon is a
function of the frequency of the light, so
at a fixed frequency, the energy of each
photon is the same, and the acquired
kinetic energy of each ejected electron is
the same. In other words, the energy of
electrons does not change because the
energy of the photon is still the same
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
Einstein’s revolutionary idea about photons was
not really confirmed for many more decades.
However, in today’s time, photons are a major
component of how light and subatomic particles
are studied. Einstein suggested that light should
sometime be thought of as a particle, instead of a
wave. He said that if you imagine light to exist in
little packets of energy, then all of your
observations make a lot more sense. Consider the
beam of light as though it was a stream of tiny
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
A single packet has a mass of zero,
so it does not weigh anything, and
contains a certain amount of energy,
which it can transfer to the electrons
when it strikes the metal. Einstein
described the energy in a light wave
as quanta of energy called photons.
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
Each photon has energy (E) in Joules that is related to
the frequency (f) in Hz of the light through Planck’s
constant (h) with a value of 6.63 × 10–34 J∙s. Frequency
is a wave’s property, and the energy of a photon is a
particle’s property. Both frequency and the energy of a
photon are related in the equation E = hf. Hence, it is
possible to describe light in terms of a frequency (or
wavelength) or in terms of a quantity of energy. Any
part of the electromagnetic spectrum can therefore be
described in terms of frequency, wavelength, or
energy, which are alternative means of describing
 PHOTON AND ITS PHYSICS
ENERGY
Sample Problem: What is the energy of a
photon of red light with a frequency of 4.00 x
1014 Hz?
 RED E
Y
E

LIGHT
G
R

IN N

PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK
ROOMS
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
Now, focus on the visible portion of
the EM spectrum (refer to Table 1).
Can you identify what color has the
highest energy? What about the
color having the lowest energy? Do
you know the reason why red light is
used in photographic dark rooms?
RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
Using Table 1, you know that red light
has the longest wavelength and
lowest frequency, while violet light
has the shortest wavelength and
highest frequency. Using the relation
E = hf, you can therefore say that red
has the least energy and violet has
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
Due to photon energies, there are
distinguishable differences in the
characteristics of light between the two ends
of the visible spectrum. This fact explains
why red light is used in photographic
darkrooms. Using red light allows
photographers to manipulate light carefully.
This makes light-sensitive photographic
paper safe from being overexposed, hence
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
Due to photon energies, there are
distinguishable differences in the
characteristics of light between the two ends
of the visible spectrum. This fact explains
why red light is used in photographic
darkrooms. Using red light allows
photographers to manipulate light carefully.
This makes light-sensitive photographic
paper safe from being overexposed, hence
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
On the other hand, dyes that absorb violet
tend to fade more quickly than those that do
not, because violet light has a higher photon
energy. Were you able to notice some faded
colored posters? Isn’t it that the blues and
violets are the last to fade? Well, this is
because other dyes, such as red and green,
absorb blue and violet photons, the higher
energies of which break up their weakly
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
On the other hand, dyes that absorb violet
tend to fade more quickly than those that do
not, because violet light has a higher photon
energy. Were you able to notice some faded
colored posters? Isn’t it that the blues and
violets are the last to fade? Well, this is
because other dyes, such as red and green,
absorb blue and violet photons, the higher
energies of which break up their weakly
 UV AND
VISIBLE
LIGHT
WHICH IS
MORE
HAZARDOUS
?
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
What information does the equation E = hf tell
you? It gives you the idea that a high-frequency
light has more energy than a low-frequency light.
The energy of such high and low-frequency light
can be verified by experiment. Using Figure 2,
which among the electromagnetic waves is the
most energetic? What about the least energetic?
Gamma ray having a frequency greater than
3x1019 Hz is the most energetic EM wave, while
radiowave with a frequency of less than 300 GHz is
RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
 RED LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC
DARK ROOMS PHYSICS
To know this effect, you have to consider
light as a stream of photons. Each photon
has a certain wavelength --- photons having
shorter wavelengths (such as those of UV)
have a higher energy as compared with
photons having longer wavelengths (such as
those of visible light). Since ultraviolet (UV)
light has shorter wavelength than visible
light, it is therefore more damaging to your
HOW DO E
E

YOU R
Y
G

SEE N

COLORS?
 HOW DO YOU SEE PHYSICS
COLORS?
Now, try to look around. Isn’t it that you
have a colorful and wonderful world? Do you
really know what are colors? Do you have
any idea how you see these colors? Color is a
magnificent aspect of light. The colors which
give much delight are brought about by
visible light which is just a small portion of
the EM spectrum. Among the waves in the
EM spectrum, only the visible light can be
 HOW DO YOU SEE PHYSICS
COLORS?
Visible light waves consist of various
wavelengths, and these various wavelengths
correspond to various colors as well. The
wavelengths range from 700 nm at the red
end of the spectrum to 400 nm at the violet
end. The white light which is described as a
polychromatic light contains all
wavelengths, thus, it also has all the colors
of the rainbow.
 HOW DO YOU SEE COLORS? PHYSICS
Furthermore, the constituents of the visible light can also
be described in terms of their photon energies. From red
to violet, the range of photon energies is 1.63 eV to 3.26
eV, respectively. These energies are on the order of those
between outer electron shells in atoms and molecules,
which means that the photons can be absorbed by atoms
and molecules. An individual photon can stimulate the
retina, such as by altering a receptor molecule that then
triggers a nerve impulse. Only the atoms or molecules that
have precisely the correct quantized energy step can
absorb or emit photons. For instance, if a red photon of
 HOW DO YOU SEE COLORS? PHYSICS
Furthermore, the constituents of the visible light can also be
described in terms of their photon energies. From red to
violet, the range of photon energies is 1.63 eV to 3.26 eV,
respectively. These energies are on the order of those
between outer electron shells in atoms and molecules, which
means that the photons can be absorbed by atoms and
molecules. An individual photon can stimulate the retina, such
as by altering a receptor molecule that then triggers a nerve
impulse. Only the atoms or molecules that have precisely the
correct quantized energy step can absorb or emit photons.
For instance, if a red photon of frequency f encounters a
molecule that has an energy step, ΔE, equal to hf, then the
 HOW DO YOU SEE COLORS? PHYSICS
Different colors can be perceived because some
colors are absorbed by objects, while other
colors are reflected or transmitted. The
wavelengths that are reflected or transmitted
are the colors that you can see. This means that
red flowers absorb violet and reflect red. This
also indicates that there is no energy step
between levels in the receptor molecule equal
to the red photon’s energy, but there is an