Visible light

Chapter 20
Characteristics and behavior of
white(visible)light
An object that emits its own light(like the
sun)is a luminous object.When an object
reflects light from another light source it
gets illuminated or non-luminous. Seeing
through a surface like a pane glass that
surface is transparent. When only vaguely
seeing an object behind a surface(e.g.
behind a frosted bathroom window or
shower door),the surface is translucent.
When you can’t see through a surface at
all(e.g. a wooden door)the surface is opaque.

Light is a form of energy. It is radiated from

luminous objects. White light can be seen by
the human eye; other types of radiation can’t
be seen(e.g. ultra-violet radiation, X-rays
and gamma rays).
Light rays and light beams
Light is propagated in a straight line
which means it travels in a straight line
and can’t turn a corner or make an angle.
This property of light is responsible for
the forming of shadows.
Light can be seen as a beam or ray when
it shines through a narrow opening. The
pinhole camera explains why an image on
a screen is upside down(inverted).
Absorption and reflection of
light
Some surfaces will absorb light while
other surfaces reflect light and have a
shiny appearance(e.g. a mirror). Most
objects will reflect some light(which is
why we can see them). A smooth surface
will reflect light evenly. A rough surface
will give a diffuse(fuzzy) reflection.
When light is reflected from a plane(flat)
mirror, the angle of incidence is equal to
the angle of reflection.
Reflection from curved surfaces
Mirrors can be convex(rounded) or
concave(hollow). Convex mirrors will
diverge(spread/radiate)light rays, while
concave mirrors will
converge(concentrate/focus)light rays.
Light and lenses
Lenses are objects that will bend light rays
because their surfaces are either convex or
concave. They can focus(converge) light
rays or spread(diverge)the light rays.
Lenses are made from clear glass or plastic.
A water drop can serve as a lens and you
have a lens in your eyes that focuses light
rays to form a clear image on your retina.
Refraction of light
Light, water, glass, Perspex and air are all
examples of optic mediums, but with
different optic densities. When light from
one optic medium to another and the light
strikes the new medium at an angle, the
direction of the light ray changes because
the speed of the light changes, the light
gets refracted(“broken”).
The phenomenon of refraction is
responsible for the fact that your toes
aren’t where they seem to be in a bath of
water, and a coin in a wishing well isn’t
where the caretaker aims for when he
tries to clear the pond.
Light passing from an optically less dense
medium(air)to an optically more dense
medium(glass) is bent towards the
normal. Light moving from a denser to a
less dense medium(glass to air)is bent
away from the normal.
Colour, colour vision and the
dispersion of light
In 1666 Isaac Newton performed a series of
experiments with light and glass prisms. He
proved the existence of the colour spectrum
and the dispersion of light.

White light(like sunlight)consists of seven

colours. When it passes through a prism, the
light is broken(dispersed)into the colours of
the visible spectrum.
It’s not a necessary to mix all the colours
of the spectrum to obtain white light;
when red, green and blue light are mixed
the human eye sees the mixture as white
light. These three colours are called the
primary colours of light. The tube of a
television set mixes the three colours to
obtain the correct combinations.
The primary colours of pigments in dyes
and paints are red, yellow and blue.
How do we see colour?
When all colours are reflected from an object, the
object appears white. When no colour is
reflected(all light is absorbed), the “colour” is
black.

A red shirt is red because all colours are absorbed

except red, which is reflected. Likewise a leaf is
green because chlorophyll absorbs light from the
blue and red parts of the spectrum, but reflects
green.
Filters are pieces of glass, plastic or even
gels that only allow a certain of light
through. The stained glass of church
windows and lamps are light filters. Red
glass blocks all colours except red,
yellow blocks all colours except yellow
etc.