Lesson 9.

Visible light
 Learning Competency

At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning

competency should be met by the students.

Explain color and intensity of light in terms of its wave

characteristics (S7LT-IIIf-10).
 Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

do the following:

● Identify the characteristics of light: energy,

frequency, and wavelength.

● Relate the characteristics of light such as color and

intensity to frequency and wavelength.
In the previous lesson, you learned the nature of light;
specifically, light can be considered both a wave and a particle,
and many situations manifest in nature.
Aside from knowing the nature of light, you also learned one of
its properties - light intensity.
In this lesson, you will
further understand
light by placing it in a
bigger context.
Likewise, you will
learn visible light as
part of the
electromagnetic
spectrum.
You will also learn about other electromagnetic waves which
make our modern life possible - radio waves, microwaves, X-
rays, etc. How do you think do these waves compare with
visible light?
 Try it!
Warm-Up

Electromagnetic Slinky

Describe the characteristics of the wave using the Slinky.

 Try it!
Warm-Up

Guide Questions

1. What happens when you move the Slinky from left to right?
How would you describe the pattern that was formed?
2. What happens as you gradually move the Slinky? in a fast
manner?
3. In the setup in the activity, what particular characteristics of
a wave were shown? How are those characteristics shown?
 Learn about It

Electromagnetic Spectrum

It contains the range

of electromagnetic
waves.

The electromagnetic spectrum shows the wavelengths

and frequencies of different electromagnetic waves.
 Learn about It

The electromagnetic region arranges electromagnetic waves

from lowest to highest frequency.

The electromagnetic spectrum shows the wavelengths and frequencies of

different electromagnetic waves.
 Learn about It

Radio wave
• It has the lowest
frequency.

• It carries the least

energy among all other
electromagnetic waves.

Radio waves are used by broadcasting

companies to transmit signals to television
or radio networks
 Learn about It

Microwave
• It is used in transmitting
or receiving signals in
cellular phones.

• It is used in cooking or
heating food through
microwave ovens.
Microwaves are used in microwave
ovens for cooking and heating food.
 Learn about It

Infrared
• It occurs at frequencies
above those of
microwaves and just
below the red visible light.

• It is used in remote
controls.
The remote control uses infrared light
to control your television from a
distance.
 Learn about It

Ultraviolet
• Ultraviolet rays are
commonly emitted by the
sun.

• They have shorter

wavelengths than violet The rays coming from the sun are
considered ultraviolet rays.
light. Hence, UV rays have
a higher frequency.
 Learn about It

Ultraviolet

Overexposure to UV radiation can damage surface cells and

can cause cancer. Moreover, it is used for
sanitation/sterilization purposes. It is also used in detecting
fake banknotes and can be used to identify materials outside
the visible spectrum.
 Learn about It

X-rays
• Two types: soft and hard,
which differ in photon
energies

• Soft X-rays have photon

energies from about 100 to
10 000 electron volts per
one photon.
X-rays are used to produce images of
the lungs and the bones.
 Learn about It

X-rays

• Hard X-rays have higher

energy than soft X-rays.

• X-rays can penetrate

through matter.

X-rays are used to produce images of

the lungs and the bones.
 Learn about It

X-rays

They are used in clinics, laboratories, or hospitals to check a

patient’s bones for breaks or fractures by producing images
of bones in a radiographic film.
 Learn about It

Gamma rays

• These rays fall in the range of electromagnetic spectrum

above soft X-rays and almost in the range of hard X-rays.

• Due to its high energy, it can also damage and kill cells. On
the other hand, it can be used to treat cancers.
 Learn about It

Gamma rays

Gamma rays are used to

treat cancer through
radiation therapy.

Gamma-rays are used to treat cancer.

 Learn about It

Visible light

The visible light region is a part of the electromagnetic

spectrum that can be detected by the human eye. It is
composed of six different colors corresponding to different
wavelengths.
 Learn about It

• Light containing a mixture of

all the wavelengths in the
visible range appears white.

• If you combine all the colors

of light, the product will be
white light. The combination of all colors in the
visible spectrum results in white
light.
 Learn about It

As can be seen from the visible light region, the color ranges
from violet (380 – 450 nm), blue (450 – 495 nm), green (495 –
570 nm), yellow (570 – 590 nm), orange (590 – 620 nm), and
red (620 – 750 nm).

The visible light spectrum shows the wavelengths.

 Learn about It

Wavelength is measured using its SI unit— meters (m).

However, you will typically see it being measured in
nanometers (nm), which is just a fraction of a meter. Violet
light has the shortest wavelength, while red has the longest
wavelength.
 Learn about It

Wavelength and frequency have an inverse relationship.

Thus, increasing the wavelength would lead to a decrease in
frequency.
 Learn about It

When light strikes an object, some may be absorbed,

transmitted through the object, or some may be reflected.

The apple appears red because it reflects much of the red light.
 Learn about It

The relative amounts of absorption, transmission, and

reflection usually differ for different wavelengths.

The apple appears red because it reflects much of the red light.
 Key Points

● The electromagnetic spectrum contains a range of electromagnetic waves.

● In the electromagnetic spectrum, radio waves have the least frequency.
● High energy electromagnetic waves are known as gamma rays.
● There are two types of X-rays: soft and hard.
○ X-rays with high photon energies from about 100 electron volts up to 10
000 electron volts per one photon are called soft X-rays.
○ Those with higher energy than soft X-rays are called hard X-rays.
● The visible light region is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can
be detected by the human eye, which is composed of six colors namely red,
orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
 Key Points

● If you combine all the colors of light, the product will be white light.
● Violet light has the shortest wavelength but the highest frequency in the
visible spectrum, while red light has the longest wavelength and lowest
frequency.
 Check Your Understanding

Read and analyze the following statements given. Tell

whether the statement is TRUE or FALSE.
1. In the visible light spectrum, red has the longest
wavelength.
2. In the visible light spectrum, violet has the highest
frequency.
3. If a wave in a spectrum has the shortest wavelength, then it
has the lowest frequency.
 Check Your Understanding

Read and analyze the following statements given. Tell

whether the statement is TRUE or FALSE.

4. The frequency of a wave is directly proportional to its

wavelength.
5. The energy of the wave does not depend on the wavelength
and frequency.
 Photo Credits

Slides 12: Consumer Reports - Kenmore microwave oven.tif by Consumer Reports is licensed under
CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 21: IMRT Oropharyngeal cancer.jpg by Michael Goodyear is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 via
Wikimedia Commons.
 Bibliography

Young, Hugh D., et. al. 2012. University Physics, 13th Edition. Singapore: Pearson Education

Hewitt, Paul G. 2015. Conceptual Physics, 12th Edition. Singapore: Pearson Education

David Halliday, et al. 2011. Fundamentals of Physics- 9th ed. Danvers: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cutnell, John D., and Johnson, Kenneth W. 2013. Introduction to Physics, 9th Edition. Singapore: John Wiley
& Sons

Faughn, Jerry S., and Raymond A. Serway. 2006. Serway’s College Physics, 7th Edition. Singapore:
Brooks/Cole

Pople, Stephen. 2007. Complete Physics. New York: Oxford University Press