KALINGA STATE UNIVERSITY GENERAL PHYSICS 2: MODULE 5 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

ELECTROMAGNETISM
Magnetism and electricity are not separate phenomena; they are the related manifestations of an underlying
electromagnetic force. Experiments in the early 19th century by, among others, Hans Orsted (in Denmark),
Andr-Marie Ampre (in France), and Michael Faraday (in England) revealed the intimate connection between
electricity and magnetism and how the one can give rise to the other. The results of these experiments were
synthesized in the 1850s by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in his electromagnetic theory.
Maxwell's theory predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves--undulations in intertwined electric and
magnetic fields, traveling with the velocity of light.

 In 1856 Maxwell developed the theory that the energy of the electromagnetic field is in the space
around the conductors as well as in the conductors themselves.
 By 1864 he had formulated his own electromagnetic theory of light, predicting that both light and
radio waves are electric and magnetic phenomena.

Maxwell predicted that electromagnetic disturbances traveling through empty space have electric and
magnetic fields at right angles to each other and that both fields are perpendicular to the direction of the
wave.

He concluded that the waves move at a uniform speed equal to the speed of light and that light is one form
of electromagnetic wave.

Maxwell's radical ideas were accepted by few outside England until 1886, when the German physicist
Heinrich Hertz verified the existence of electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light; the waves he
discovered are known now as radio waves.

Although light is a visible form of

PROPERTIES OF LIGHT energy most of the light energy that
Unlike heat or electricity, light can travel through space without surrounds us is invisible.
any medium.
Light energy travels in waves. WHITE light is composed of different
colors (wavelengths) of light.
WAVES are vibrations that transfer energy from place to place
without matter being transferred. -In a vacuum each wavelength of light
travels at the same speed.
LIGHT WAVES -A prism will slow down each
 Light has an electric and magnetic fields wavelength of light at different rates.
 Light is an electromagnetic ( EM) wave  RED LIGHT (longest
 Light transfers energy through electromagnetic radiation wavelength, least energetic) is
Electromagnetic radiation is a method of transferring energy slowed the least
by vibrating electric and magnetic fields.  VIOLET LIGHT (shortest
wavelength, most energetic) is
PROPERTIES OF WAVES slowed the most
Wavelength- physical length
from one point of a wave to the
same point on the next wave
Frequency – Number of waves
that passes by each second
(HERTZ, Hz)
Amplitude – Height of the wave
and often related to power.

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency and
higher energy
VISIBLE SPECTRUM- The range of light waves that we can
see (humans can only detect light within a very narrow range of
wavelengths (400-700 mm).

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KALINGA STATE UNIVERSITY GENERAL PHYSICS 2: MODULE 5 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

.
The Law of Reflection CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Light is known to behave in a very predictable manner. If a ray of 1. Consider the diagram: Which
light could be observed approaching and reflecting off of a flat mirror,
one of the angles (A, B, C, or D)
then the behavior of the light as it reflects would follow a
predictable law known as the law of reflection. is the angle of incidence? Which
The diagram below illustrates the law of reflection. one of the angles is the angle of
reflection?
**Angle B is the
angle of incidence
(angle between the
incident ray and the
normal). **Angle
C is the angle of
reflection (angle
INCIDENT RAY, (I) - the ray of light approaching the mirror between the
REFLECTED RAY (R) - The ray of light that leaves the mirror reflected ray and
NORMAL LINE, (N) - a line drawn perpendicular to the surface of the normal).
the mirror at the point of incidence where the ray strikes the mirror. It
divides the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray into 2. A ray of light is incident
two equal angles. towards a plane mirror at an angle
ANGLE OF INCIDENCE - angle between the incident ray and the
of 30-degrees with the mirror
normal line (denoted by θi)
surface. What will be the angle of
ANGLE OF REFLECTION - angle between the reflected ray and the
normal line (denoted by θr) reflection?
The angle of
The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a reflection is 60
surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. degrees. (Note that
the angle of incidence
is not 30 degrees; it is
Reflection and the Locating of Images 60 degrees since the
angle of incidence is
As you sight at the image, light travels
measured between the
to your eye along the path shown in the
incident ray and the
diagram. The diagram shows that the
normal.)
light reflects off the mirror in such a
manner that the angle of incidence is
equal to the angle of reflection. The Law of Refraction
“Light that travels along the line of sight to Refraction is the bending of the
your eye follows the law of reflection.”
path of a light wave as it passes
across the boundary separating two
media. Refraction is caused by the
change in speed experienced by a
wave when it changes medium.

In Diagram A: the eye is sighting along a line at a position above the

actual image location. For light from the object to reflect off the
mirror and travel to the eye, the light would have to reflect in such a
way that the angle of incidence is less than the angle of reflection.
In Diagram B: the eye is sighting along a line at a position below the
actual image location. In this case, for light from the object to reflect
off the mirror and travel to the eye, the light would have to reflect in
such a way that the angle of incidence is more than the angle of
reflection.
Neither of these cases would follow the law of reflection. The diagram (A) above shows a light
ray undergoing refraction as it
Summary: The three laws of reflection passes from air into water
1. The angle between the incident ray and the normal is equal to the angle
between the reflected ray and the normal
2. The incident ray, the normal and the reflected ray are all in the same plane
3. Incident ray and refracted ray are on different sides of the normal

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KALINGA STATE UNIVERSITY GENERAL PHYSICS 2: MODULE 5 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

From diagram (A) CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Incident ray is a ray (drawn perpendicular to the wavefronts) that Calculate θr and draw in the refracted ray
shows the direction that light travels as it approaches the with the calculated angle of refraction using
boundary. Snell’s Law
Refracted ray is a ray (drawn perpendicular to the wavefronts)
that shows the direction that light travels after it has crossed over (A) θi is assumed to be 45 degrees
the boundary.
In the diagram, a normal line is drawn to the surface at the point
of incidence. This line is always drawn perpendicular to the
boundary.
Angle of incidence (θi)-Angle that the incident ray makes with
the normal line
Angle of refraction (θr)-Angle that the refracted ray makes with GIVEN: ni = 1.33 ; nr = 1.33 ; θi = 45⁰
the normal line
REQ’D: θr
SOL’N:
SNELL’S LAW
ni * sine (θi) = nr * sine (θr)
The relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction
1.0 * sine (45⁰) = 1.33 * sine (θr)
and the indices of refraction of the two media. Snell's law applies 0.7071 = 1.33 * sine (θr)
to the refraction of light in any situation, regardless of what the 0.532 = sine (θr)
two media are. Sine-1(0.532) = Sine-1(sine (θr))
This study of the refraction of light as it crosses from one material into θr = 32.1⁰
a second material yields a general relationship between the sines of the
angle of incidence and the angle of refraction. This general
relationship is expressed by the following equation:

ni * sine (θi) = nr * sine (θr)

Where:
θi – angle of incidence
θr – angle of refraction
ni – index of refraction of the incident medium
nr – index of refraction of the refractive medium
DISPERSION
Is defined as the spreading of
white light into its full spectrum
of wavelengths. More
technically, dispersion occurs
whenever the propagation of
light depends on wavelength.
Dispersion is the phenomenon
which gives you the separation
of colors in a prism.
What Is Polarization?
It is the property of electromagnetic waves that
describes the orientation of their field oscillation.
UNPOLARIZED LIGHT - If in ordinary light,
electric field vector vibrates in all directions in a
plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
LINEARLY POLARIZED - If the electric field
vectors of light vibrates in just in one direction
perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation
PLANE POLARIZED WAVE – It is the vibrations
at all points at all times lie in the same plane in a
linearly polarized wave.
The POLARIZER is a device that plane polarizes
unpolarized light passes through it
ANALYZER is a device that analyses whether the
light is polarized or not.
MALUS LAW
When a beam of completely plane polarized
light is passed through analyzers, the Intensity I
of transmitted light through analyzer varies
directly as the square of cosine angle (θ)
between the transmissions directions of
polarizers and analyzers
I= Iocos2θ
Where: Io is the maximum intensity of
transmitted light
Special cases:
 when directions of polarizers and analyzers are
parallel or antiparallel to each other; θ= 0⁰ or
180⁰ ; I=Io
 when directions of polarizers and analyzers are
perpendicular to each other; θ= 90⁰ ; I=0
REFERENCES:
*https://www.physicsclassroom.com/
*https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/25-2-
the-law-of-reflection/
*https://www.physicstutorials.org/home/optics/refraction-of-
light/the-laws-of-refraction
*https://mammothmemory.net/physics/mirrors/flat-
mirrors/the-three-laws-of-reflection.html

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