When light propagates in a transparent material medium, its speed is in general less than the speed in vacuum c. This section will help illuminate the behavior of light and show how different types of light are classified and measured. Describes interactions with objects with the same size as the wavelength. Pdf the history of science shows that for each scientific issue there may. These include propagation, reflection, and refraction.
The properties of light are intensity or brightness, direction, frequency or color and polarization. How light travels light waves ks3 physics revision. The purpose of this lab is to introduce students to some of the properties of thin lenses and mirrors. Physical measurement of light in physics, radiometry is the field that studies the measurement of electromagnetic radiation, including visible. Chapter 10 reflection, refraction, diffraction and. On this page, we will focus on three specific behaviors reflection, refraction and diffraction. Light properties of light university of washington. Properties of light and examination of isotropic substances. Other objects which do not give out light are called non luminous objects. Propagation of light through a slit demonstrates wave properties. Quantum physics of light and matter pdf quantum physics of light and matter pdf. Light exhibits certain behaviors that are characteristic of any wave and would be difficult to explain with a purely particleview. Solid state physics part ii optical properties of solids. Light diffracts in the same manner that any wave would diffract.
Jul 17, 2012 light is characterized by several very interesting properties, the observation of which has led to the development of the most prominent theories in contemporary physics the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Gives the direction of field oscillation generally, light is a transverse wave unlike sound. Light refracts in the same manner that any wave would refract. Department of physics and astronomy northern arizona university flagstaff, az 860116010 basic physics of the incandescent lamp lightbulb vol. Light is a form of energy which is given by luminous objects. The nature of light boundless chemistry lumen learning. Light properties worksheet answers teachengineering. The relationship between the speed of light in vacuum and in medium gives the refractive index. The speed of a light is dependent upon the properties of the medium. The primary properties of visible light are intensity, propagationdirection, frequency or. Lecture notes polymer physics materials science and. Light is electromagnetic radiation that has properties of waves. It is made of electric and magnetic vectors that oscillate mutually perpendicular. Unit i laser engineering physics the light ray coming ordinary light source travels in all directions, but laser light travels in single direction.
The primary goals are to understand the relationship between. These are transverse waves, like the ripples in a tank of water. Stokes introduces four quantities, today know as the stokes parameters, that have proven to be quite successful for the description of the polarization properties of a radiation beam. Jan 23, 2014 wave properties light diffraction this is defined as the bending of light waves around obstacles in its path. Pulses of infrared light are transmitted as signals so we can communicate with our tvs. The physics of waves howard georgi harvard university originally published by prentice hall englewood cliffs, new jersey 07632. Glass,water,clear plastic and air are transparent materials. Our eyes interpret these wavelengths as different colors. As shown below, an electromagnetic wave is a transverse wave consisting of mutually. Example, when a light wave passes through a barrier with a small opening, it acts as a single point source from where light emerges and spreads in all direction. Apr 25, 2014 light has some wellestablished dynamical properties that have defined our understanding of electromagnetic radiation for over a century.
For photovoltaic applications, this level of detail is seldom required and therefore only a few sentences on the quantum nature of light are given here. Physics, volume iii, commemorative issue edition, addisonwesley. Since the light ray appears to be broken, the phenomenon is known as refraction. Properties of light are given as rectilinear propagation of light, speed of light, refraction, reflection. There are many different types of electromagnetic em waves. Properties of light university of maryland college of. Two of the most fundamental of these properties are that. The timesymmetric nature of these interactions make them e ectively instantaneous. The primary goals are to understand the relationship between image distance, object distance, and image scale. Virtual lab what are some characteristics of waves. Refraction is the bending of transmitted waves, at the boundary between media, due to the. Gain more knowledge about light by working through the lesson called properties of light.
Sir isaac newton was explained the properties of light by introducing corpuscular theory in 1675. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation emitted by hot objects like lasers, bulbs, and the sun. Direction of wave propagation is perpendicular to both electric and magnetic vectors. A study of the properties of light helps us to explore them. For example the light emitted from torch light spreads 1km distance it spreads 1 km distance.
Physics department, senior lab frequency, phase, polarization, and travel in the same direction. Wave properties of light polarization physics courses. Its momentum is \p \frach\nu c\ and speed is c, which is the speed of light irrespective of the intensity of radiation, every photon of a frequency v has the same momentum \p \frach\nu c\ and energy \e h\nu\ the increase in the intensity of light only increases the. This confusion about the true nature of light continued for some years till a modern quantum theory of light emerged in which light is neither a wave nor a particle the new theory reconciles the particle properties of light with the wave nature.
In the first experiment we will measure the diffraction pattern of light as it passes through single, double and multiple slits. Properties of light revision optics and optical phenomena. Mar 29, 2010 light and its nature have caused a lot of ink to flow during these last decades. Hold the red led very close to a sheet of paper, so that it makes a small angle with the paper. Light readings andrew glassner, principles of digital image synthesis vol. Ibn alhaythams work was translated into latin in the th century and was a motivating influence on the franciscan friar and natural philosopher roger bacon. Light is a kind of kinetic energy which enables the human eye to see or make things visible. As we have discussed before, visible light represents a narrow group of wavelengths between about 380 nm and 730 nm. It is essential for students to know the basic properties of light, including brightness, colors, and being visible. General wave properties the behaviour of waves affects us every second of our lives. In this lab we will explore the wave and particle nature of light. The nature of light as a wave a small disturbance in an electric field creates a small magnetic field, which in turn creates a small electric field, and so on light propagates itself by its bootstraps.
The physics of light davidson institute of science education. Nobel prize for physics in 1918 and 1921, respectively and based on this work, light may. When light interacts with objects or a medium, such as glass or water, it displays certain properties. The optical properties of crystals are, next to xray diffraction and direct chemical analyses, the most reliable properties available to distinguish and identify minerals. A complete physical description of the properties of light requires a quantummechanical analysis of light, since light is a type of quantummechanical particle called a photon. Light, electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. Properties of light presentation pdf teachengineering. They are introduced to the additive and subtractive color systems, and the phenomena of refraction. The properties of matter, such as its rest energy, its inertia, its radiation reaction. Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation within the portion of the electromagnetic. The optical properties depend on the manner that visible light is transmitted through the crystal, and thus are. The laser light exhibits some peculiar properties than compare with the convectional light. The electromagnetic spectrum can be divided into several bands based on the wavelength.
The physics of waves version date february 15, 2015. Quantum physics of light and matter pdf web education. Starting from einstein we are talking about the duality of particles, where each particle has also certain wave properties. Unit i laser engineering physics the light ray coming ordinary light source travels in all directions, but laser light. Like ocean waves, light waves have crests and troughs.
Physics is described as the study of matter and radiation. Properties of light by cindy grigg answer key light is one form of energy that travels in electromagnetic waves. The study of waves is, perhaps, truly the central subject of physics. This program introduces the topic of light as a wave, and explores the properties of light using the wave model. The sun is the source of light for our planet earth, emits electromagnetic radiation and an influx of charged particles, for the very survival of our planet. The distance between one crest and the next, which is the same as the distance between one trough and the next, is called the wavelength.
Wave properties of light wave optics or physical optics is the study of the wave properties of light. Students learn about the basic properties of light and how light interacts with objects. In a vacuum a container with no air, light travels at the speed of approximately 299 792 458 metres per second ms. Technological applications based on the manipulations of light include lasers, holography, and fibreoptic telecommunications systems in most everyday circumstances, the properties of light can be. Pdf light the physics of the photon, by ole keller. This confusion about the true nature of light continued for some years till a modern quantum theory of light emerged in which light is neither a wave nor a particle the new theory reconciles the particle properties of light. Visible light includes wavelengths from about 380 nm to about 780 nm depending on the individual.
Oct 16, 2017 learn physics notes for competitive exams pdf. Theyhaveenergy,andonemeasure of this energy is the wavelength of the light. Even if the subject seems to be at the heart of modern physics, it is too difficult to be. You are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. When i see you, i am actually seeing light reflected off you. Particle nature of light definition photon properties.
Every element of matter is coupled to all other matter on its light cone by timesymmetric interactions. Pdf on jan 12, 2015, manuel vogel published light the physics of the photon, by ole keller find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Physics igcse 2012 exam revision notes by samuel lees and adrian guillot 1. Shares with sound the properties of spreading loss, attenuation, reflection. The frequency of a wave is the number of crests or troughs that pass a point in one second. Physical properties of light light consists of photons particles with no mass which travelatthespeedoflight. Refraction waves transmitted from one medium to another retain their frequency, but may change speed and wavelength. When you smile into a mirror, you see your own face smiling back at you. In lesson 1, we will investigate the variety of behaviors, properties and characteristics of light that seem to support the wave model of light. Ron ferril sbcc physics 101 chapter 10 2017jul27a page 2 of 15. Light is a transverse wave recall earlier, whose origin is accelerating electrons, e. In many cases, the properties of light can be explained as a wave, as was.
The electromagnetic spectrum describes light as a wave which has a. Natural order properties of light lab introduction. A real image is one which can be produced on a screen and is formed by. Toaverygoodapproximation, lighttravelsinstraightlines, and behavesmuchlikeaparticle. Light undergoes interference in the same manner that any wave would. Light incident on the paper is reflected at many angles. Light reflects in the same manner that any wave would reflect. For photovoltaic applications, this level of detail is seldom required and therefore only a few sentences on the quantum nature of light. Light waves can interfere with other light waves, canceling or amplifying them. As shown below, an electromagnetic wave is a transverse wave consisting of mutually perpendicular oscillating electric and magnetic fields. He also studied the mathematical properties of the reflection of light from spherical and parabolic mirrors and drew detailed pictures of the optical components of the human eye. Then they become the light of the world as it is written in the book of matthew 5. Physical properties of light school learning resources.
Properties of light and electricity 45 the student will demonstrate. In the 17th century, the properties of light were explained by sir isaac newton and christian huygens. This property forms the basis of the fields of optics and optical communications and a myriad of related technologies, both mature and emerging. Before delving into the details of solar physics, it is important to understand the nature of light. Light, reflection, and color characteristics of light light is an electromagnetic wave.
Influence of chain architecture on microdomain characteristics pdf 1. An interesting consequence of this is that a light ray will change direction when passing from one medium to another. Light energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can be seen by the human eye. It explains reflection, refraction, and dispersion properties of light. This backgrounder is all about visible light and how we interact with it. These properties are used to explain such phenomena as total internal reflection and its use with fiber optics in communication and optical instruments such as endoscopes.
It is the reason why lasers generate light with the unusual properties mentioned above. In physics radiometry is used to measure electromagnetic radiations. Light is an electromagnetic radiation which exists in tiny packets called photons and exhibits properties of both waves and particles. A detailed discussion of the wave characteristics of light will be. Its dual behavior is partly explained by 1doubleslit experiment of thomas young who represents the photons motion as a wave and also by 2the photoelectric effect in which the photon is considered as a particle. This proposal was a result of his work on the photoelectric e.
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