SHS

Physical Science
Quarter 4- Module 3
NATURE AND PROPAGATION OF LIGHT

i
Physical Science– Grade 11
Quarter 4 – Module III: Nature and Propagation of Light

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work of the
Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office wherein
the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office
may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names, trademarks,
etc.) included in this book are owned by their respective copyright holders. Every effort has been
exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their respective copyright owners.
The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.

Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Rommel Carl R. Peralta

Editors: Jocelyn P. Navera and Brenly B. Mendoza

Reviewers: Kristina N. Nieves and Aster Malto, Jeanine Cristobal and

Kenneth De la Fuente

Illustrator: Ray Daniel G. Peralta

Layout Artist: Jose P. Gamas, Jr.

ii
 Self-Learning Module for Senior High School Learners

LESSON
NATURE AND PROPAGATION OF LIGHT

In the previous lessons, you understood that light

originates from the accelerated motion of electrons. It is an
electromagnetic phenomenon and only a tiny part of a larger
whole wide range of electromagnetic waves called the
electromagnetic spectrum. In this lesson, you will know about
the two forms of a light- a particle and a wave and will understand how these two forms
explained the propagation, reflection, and refraction of light.

Knowing the properties of light is very essential

in understanding the complexity of matter and energy.
Hence, this knowledge will give you the brightness to
the gray area of unknown. Do you want to want to see
this brightness? Read on and accomplish the tasks
prepared for you in this module.

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Describe how the propagation of light, reflection, and

refraction are explained by the wave model and particle
model of light.
(S11/12PS-IVf-59)

• Explain the wave-particle duality of light

• Use the wave and particle model of light to
explain how light is being propagated, reflected
and refracted.

1
 Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. What does dispersion of light through a prism show?

a. The prism contains many narrow, equally spaced slits.
b. All wavelengths have the same speed in a material.
c. Different wavelengths have the same speed in a material.
d. The index of refraction is the same for all wavelengths.

2. What do you call to the plane of the three rays and the normal?
a. Plane of reflection
b. Plane of refraction
c. Plane of interference
d. Plane of incidence

3. Which of the following concepts refers to the angle that is equal to the angle of
incidence for all wavelengths and for any pair of materials?
a. Reflection
b. Refraction
c. Polarization
d. Interference

4. What does a beam of light undergo as it travels through different media having
different indices?
a. Reflection
b. Refraction
c. Diffraction
d. Polarization

5. Which of the following statements TRUE about the dual theory of light?
a. It states that light acts as a wave when it moves through space and as a particle
when it interacts with matter.
b. It states that light acts as a particle when it moves through space and as a wave
when it interacts with matter.
c. A and B
d. None of the choices

Hi! How did you find the test?

Please check your answers at the answer key

section and see how you did. Don’t worry if you got a
low score, this just means that there are more things
that you can learn from this module. So, hop on!

2
 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Complete the crossword puzzle by identifying the

concepts being introduced by the definitions below. Write
the answers in you notebook.

1. It is an energy-carrying wave emitted by a vibrating charge (often electrons) that is

composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that regenerate one another.

2. It is an electromagnetic wave. When emitted or absorbed, it also shows particle

properties. It is emitted by accelerated electric charges.

3. This refers to the bending of an oblique ray of light when it passes from one
transparent medium to another. This is caused by a difference in the speed of light
in the transparent media.

4. It pertains to the return of light rays from a surface in such a way that the angle at
which a given ray is returned is equal to the angle at which it strikes the surface.
.
5. It is the surface of constant phase; wave fronts move with a speed equal to the
propagation speed of the wav

Good job in finishing the activity! Take note of the key concepts you had written. These
words might appear on the next activities.

3
 WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY

In 1905, a German physicist named Albert Einstein developed a novel theory about
electromagnetic (EM) radiation which is called the wave-particle duality theory. It explains
the behavior of electromagnetic radiation as a wave and a particle. Einstein explained that
when an electron returns to a lower energy level and gives off electromagnetic energy,
the energy is emitted as a discrete “packet” of energy. This packet of energy is called photon.
According to Einstein, a photon is in a form of particle but moves like a wave (see Figure 1).
The theory suggests that waves of photons traveling through matter or space make up
electromagnetic radiation.

Energy of a Photon

Photon energy is the energy carried by

a photon. The photon energy is directly proportional to
its electromagnetic frequency and thus, inversely
proportional to the wavelength, the higher amount of
photon's frequency, the higher its energy and the
longer the wavelength of the photons, the lower its
energy.
There are different units that can be used in Source: Wave-Particle Theory. https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-
photon energy, these are electronvolt (eV) and physics-flexbook-2.0/section/13.4/primary/lesson/wave-particle-theory-ms-ps

the joule. One joule is equivalent to 6.24 × 1018 eV, the

Figure 1. Wave of photon travelling through
large units can be used for representing the energy of matter or space
photons with higher frequency and higher energy like
gamma rays, as contrasting to photons with low energy photons, like those in the radio
frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Evidence for the Wave-Particle Theory

Evidences were discovered and

showed after Einstein proposed his wave-
particle duality theory. Scientists shone
laser light using two slits in a barrier that
blocked the light (see Figure 2). They took
photos of the light that passed through the
slits using a very sensitive camera. The
photos showed small pinpoints of light
passing through the double slits. This
seemed to reveal that light consists of very
small particles. However, when the camera
was exposed to the light for a long time, the
pinpoints accrued in bands that look like
Source: Wave-Particle Theory. https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-physics-
interfering waves. Therefore, flexbook-2.0/section/13.4/primary/lesson/wave-particle-theory-ms-ps
the experiment exhibited that light appears to Figure 2. Experiment showing that light is both a particle and
consist of particles that act like waves. wave

4
 LIGHT MYSTERY

Picture A shows the image of the

students on water while Picture B shows a
glass with refracted light.

How do these phenomena happen?

A B
Photocredits: Cogasa, delos Angeles & Photocredits: Olmeda, Olavides, & Oloya (2020),
Gonzales (2020), Ligao National High Ligao National High School, Ligao City, Albay
School, Ligao City, Albay

Good job in finishing the activity! Take note of the key concepts you had
written. These words might appear on the next activities.

5
Directions: The concepts below are connected to your explanation in the Light Mystery
Activity. Let us deepen your understanding by explaining the phenomena being
exhibited by the picture below.

AIR
WATER
REFRACTED

Photocredit: Peralta, Rommel Carl (2020). Physical Science Module

Figure 3: Light Ray Diagram

Guide Questions:
1. How is light propagated?

2. What two important aspects of propagation of light are being exhibited by Figure 3?

When a light wave strikes a smooth interface separating two

transparent materials (such as air, glass or water), the light wave is
somewhat reflected and partly refracted into the second medium or
material, as shown in Figure 3. For example, when you look into a glass
window in the mall from the street, you see a reflection of the street
scene, but a person inside the mall can look out through the glass window
at the same scene as light reaches him or her by refraction.

Now, try to describe REFLECTION and REFRACTION of light by

illustrating the particle and wave model of light. Describe how light is being
propagated in each model.

6
 Particle and Wave Refraction
When a light beam travels between two media having different refractive indices, the
light beam undergo refraction, and changes its direction when passes through different
medium (see Figure 3 & 4) just like in
picture B which shows that the light was
bended when it passes through a glass of
water. On the other hand, a model for each
can be devised to explain and to determine
whether the light beam is composed of
waves or particles, phenomenon (see
Figure 4). Huygens' wave theory explains
that a small portion of each angle
wavefront should hit the second medium
before the rest of the front reaches the
interface. Light beam will start to move
through the second medium while the other
Figure 4. Refraction of Particles and Waves
part of the wave is still traveling in the first
medium, but will move slower due to the
higher refractive index of the second medium. The light beam will bend into the second
medium since the wavefront is traveling at two different speeds, therefore changing its angle
of propagation.

Particle and Wave Reflection

Wave theory speculates that a
source of light releases light waves that
spread in various directions. The light
waves are reflected according to the
arrival angles when the light beam
touches a mirror, but with each wave
turned back to front that yielded a
reversed image (Figure 3). The shape of
arriving waves depends upon the distance Particles Waves
of the light source from the mirror. Light
that came from a close source maintains Figure 5. Particles and Waves Reflected by a Mirror
a spherical, highly curved wavefront. On
the other hand, the light beam being emitted from a distance source will spread more and
impact the mirror with wavefronts that are almost planar.
In the case for a particle nature of light, light emitted by a source, regardless of the
distance, light arrives at the mirror surface as a stream of particles, which bounce away or are
reflected from the smooth surface (see Figure 5). Since the particles are very small, a great
number of particles are involved in a propagating light beam. Upon touching the mirror, the
particles bounce from various points, so their order in the light beam is reversed upon
reflection to produce a reversed image. Both the particle and wave theories explain reflection
from a smooth surface. However, the particle theory also suggests that if light beam touches
a very rough surface, its particles bounce away at different angles which resulted to the
scattering the light.
SOURCE & PHOTOCREDITS: Robert T. Sutter, Matthew J. Parry-Hill and Michael W. Davidson
Accessed October 19, 2020.
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/particleorwave/refraction/index.html

7
Directions: Describe and explain the property of light depicted in each
photo below. Write your answers on the provided spaces.

Photo credits: Oraa, Penafiel & Peralta (2020), Ligao National High School, Ligao City, Albay

Photo credits: Oraa, Penafiel & Peralta (2020), Ligao National High School, Ligao City, Albay

8
 Directions: Answer the following questions. Write your
answers in your notebook.

1. What is the wave-particle duality of light?

2. How does light propagated, reflected and refracted? Draw the wave and particle
diagram to answer this question.

Directions: Write your thoughts about the following

questions.

1. What are the practical applications of reflection and refraction of light that can be
found inside your community?

2. What are the evidences of particle and wave reflection and particle and wave
refraction that can be observed in your locality?

Directions: Look around inside your house,

take a picture exhibiting the materials, phenomena and
scenarios where you can observe reflection and
refraction of light. Make an inference about how light is
being propagated using wave and particle theory.

9
 The following terms used in this module are defined as follows:

• WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY THEORY OF LIGHT states that light acts as a wave when
it moves through space and as a particle when it interacts with matter.
• ELECTROMAGENTIC WAVE is an energy-carrying wave emitted by a vibrating
charge (often electrons) that is composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields
that regenerate one another.
• HUYGEN’S PRINCIPLE states that if the position of a wave front at one instant is
known, then the position of the front at a later time can be constructed by imagining
the front as a source of secondary wavelets. Huygens’s principle can be used to derive
the laws of reflection and refraction.
• INDEX OF REFRACTION OF A MATERIAL is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum
to the speed in the material. If is the wavelength in vacuum, the same wave has a
shorter wavelength in a medium with index of refraction n.
• LAW OF REFLECTION states that the angle of reflection equals the angle of
incidence.
• LAW OF REFRACTION relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the indexes
of refraction of the materials.
• LIGHT is an electromagnetic wave. When emitted or absorbed, it also shows particle
properties. It is emitted by accelerated electric charges.
• PLANE OF INCIDENT is a single plane where all incident, reflected, and refracted rays
and the normal lie.
• REFLECTION is the return of light rays from a surface in such a way that the angle at
which a given ray is returned is equal to the angle at which it strikes the surface. When
the reflecting surface is irregular, the light is returned in irregular directions; this is
diffuse reflection. In general, the bouncing back of a particle or wave that strikes the
boundary between two media
• REFRACTION is the bending of an oblique ray of light when it passes from one
transparent medium to another. This is caused by a difference in the speed of light in
the transparent media. In general, the change in direction of a wave as it crosses the
boundary between two media in which the wave travels at different speeds.
• WAVEFRONT is a surface of constant phase; wave fronts move with a speed equal to
the propagation speed of the wave

Hurray! you have completed your learning

episodes in this module! Please check your answers by
referring to the answer key.
Congratulations!

10
J. Cutnell & K. Johnson. Physics. 8th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,111 River Street,
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 (2009)
Paul Hewitt. Conceptual Physics. 10th Edition. 300 Beach Drive NE, 1103, St. Petersburg, FL
33701. (2006)
Robert T. Sutter, Matthew J. Parry-Hill and Michael W. Davidson Accessed October 19,
2020.
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/particleorwave/refraction/index.html

11