WHAT IS LIGHT?

Light and the Eye

Our Eyes are sensitive to light in which give us information about the shapes, colors and
movements of objects around us, Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, and we know it
travels in the form of waves. the complete range of electromagnetic spectrum and out eyes are
capable of seeing only part of the spectrum. we can see a large amount of wave lengths emitted
by the sun that is white light but the sun also emits other waves. which we cannot see.

How Light Behaves

Light moves in straight line from its source, but it can be bent and scattered by objects placed
in path. we can see rays of sunlight streaming to a window on a sunny day because some of
light is scatterred by dust particles in the air , we can only see a ray of sunlight when it strikes
the eye directly. then it forms an image of the objects drom which it has come either from the
light source itself or something from which it has been reflected, such as motorcar NON
LUMINOUS OBJECT are one, which are only visible when they reflected the light from a light
source in a totally dark room, you would not able to see a desk, but you would not see the
hands of luminous clock. if the totally black room had no dust particles floating around it, you
would not able to see the beam of light, but only the light source itself and any objects that
reflects the light.

SPEED OF LIGHT

Even an electric light appears to glow immediately it is switched on a small but definite time
lag occurs, between the light coming on and the electromagnetic radiation entering our eyes.

Aloh Roemer (Denmark) - He measured the speed of light in 1676.

Behavior of Light
INTERFERENCE- Any phenomenon having a periodic disturbance of some sort and travels
outward from a source is called a wave. To understand how energy can travels in waves, "think
of a wooden log floating in the ocean, light maybe visualized as such as the high points are
called crest while the low points called troughs. the distance between two successive crest and
troughs is called a wavelength.

-When to waves meet or interfere, they reinforce one another ( crest form a higher crest than
either) at some points and annul one another (crest of one wave interfere with he trough of the
other ) a other points.

-The crest of one wave meets the trough of another wave. the phenomenon is called annulment
of waves.

DIFFRACTION- Light in space and not within the gravitational field of any objects travels in a
straight line. the bending of light around an object gives rise to the phenomenon called
diffraction. this phenomenon is responsible for the partial illumination of object parts not directly
in the path of the light.

Light and Materials

-Materials, which allow light to pass through so that objects on the other side can be
distinguished are called TRANSPARENT.

-Those that Allow light to pass through but diffuse the flow of light so that objects on the other
side cannot be distinctly seen are called TRANSLUCENT.

-Materials which allow no light to pass through, are called OPAQUE.

When Light strikes an object such light is absorbed, transmitted and or reflected practically, the
amount of light transmitted or reflected depends upon the characteristics of the material, the
quantity of the light angle of the source.

THE LAW OF REFLECTION

- It refers to the rebounding or deflection of light . The angle of reflection depends upon the
angle of the light striking the material, which is referred to as the angle of incidence.

THE LAW OF REFRACTION

- When the material in the path of the light is transparent a change in the direction of the light
occurs.

The change in the direction of light when passing from one medium to another is called the
phenomenon of refraction. The change in the direction of the light is due to the change in the
speed of light when passing from one medium to another. The displacement depends upon the
angle of incidence, the kind of material and its thickness.