What Is Light?
SNC2D - Unit 2: Optics
I can describe
I can describe the
Learning Goals
different forms of
properties of light
light
I can define and
I can describe the
describe different
ways that rays of
ways visible light is
light behave
produced
What Is Light?
Light
▪ Light is made of electromagnetic waves
▪ Electromagnetic Wave: a wave with both electric and magnetic parts
▪ Can travel through empty space (does not need a physical
substance to travel), but can be absorbed by matter
▪ Energy from light can be transferred by radiation (meaning the
energy can travel through empty space)
Waves
▪ Wavelength: distance from one peak to another
▪ Crest: the high point of a wave
▪ Trough: the low point of a wave
▪ Frequency: the number of waves that pass in a given amount of time
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
▪ Electromagnetic Spectrum: the range of all forms of electromagnetic
radiation
▪ We see the visible spectrum of
light
▪ Light travels at a speed of
3.0 x 108 m/s
▪ 299,792,458 m/s
Waves
▪ Each type of electromagnetic wave has its own wavelength
▪ Different wavelengths of light produce different colours of visible light
Wave Strength
▪ Short wavelengths are more powerful than longer wavelengths
Red wavelengths are longer
(7.0 x 10-7 m long). They are
weaker
Violet wavelengths are shorter
(4.0 x 10-7 m long). They are
stronger
Wave Strength
▪ Strength is a function of frequency. Stronger light means more energy
because more waves are passing in an amount of time.
▪ Example - ultraviolet light (used for disinfecting, tanning beds) has a
shorter wavelength and is more
damaging to human cells than
visible light which has a longer
wavelength
▪ Long wavelength = low energy
▪ Short wavelength = high energy
In Summary…
Long waves Short waves
Long wavelength Short wavelength
Low Frequency High Frequency
Low Energy High Energy
Types of Electromagnetic Light
▪ As our “warm up,” the first few
lessons in the optics unit will
start with a little bit about a
form of electromagnetic light
▪ By the end of lesson 6, you will
have general information about
every form of light and some of
their applications
▪ For today’s featured form of
electromagnetic light… visible
light!
Electromagnetic Light - Visible Light
● Wavelengths detected by the human eye
● All colours of visible light (ROYGBIV) merged together form white light
● When transmitting white light
through a prism, the different
colours will show up on an angled
screen, showing the wavelengths
traveling at their different distances
Visible Light
● When heated, each element
of the periodic table
produces a unique spectrum
of colours (not every colour -
take a look at the photo)
● When you see light, you are
seeing a combination of
different colours to produce
what you see
● Spectrum = all wavelengths of
light produced
Visible Light
● This happens because when we heat an element,
their e- become excited to a higher energy level
(think of orbits from Bohr-Rutherford diagrams)
● When the electrons fall back to their original
energy level, they lose this extra energy they
absorbed and release it as light
● Since each atom has a different arrangement of
electrons and they can fall back in different ways,
different wavelengths of light are emitted!
Visible Light
This is an actual image
of a single atom of
strontium. We are
seeing the light this
atom produces when
its electrons are
excited, fall back to
their original energy
level and release the
energy as light.
[Link]
e-atom/
Sources of Light
Production of Visible Light
● Light can be produced from 2 types of sources
○ Luminous sources: produce their own light (ie. the Sun)
○ Nonluminous sources: do not produce their own light (ie. the moon
reflecting light from the sun)
Production of Visible Light
● Light sources can produce light in 3 main ways
○ Incandescent: light emitted from a hot source due to temperature
○ Luminescence: light emitted as a result of a chemical reaction
○ Triboluminescence: light produced from friction or crushing
Incandescence
● Incandescence: light produced by a hot
source due to temperature
● Examples
○ Incandescent light bulbs (not very
efficient - 95% of the energy used by the
bulb is used as heat, leaving only 5% of
the energy used for light emission)
○ Hot metals can glow red, orange, yellow
and white depending on their
temperature
Luminescence - Phosphorescence
● Luminescence: light produced as a result of a chemical reaction
○ Phosphorescence: when ultraviolet light is stored and then
re-emitted as visible light over a long period of time
■ Examples
● Glow-in-the-dark
objects
● Paints
● Safety signs
Luminescence - Fluorescence
● Fluorescence: Light produced when ultraviolet light is
stored and then immediately re-emitted as visible
light, often at a variety of different wavelengths
● Examples
○ CFL (compact fluorescent lights) - more efficient
than incandescent light bulbs (80% of energy used
as heat, noticeably cooler)
○ Fluorescent spectroscopy, medical imaging -
different compounds with fluorescent tags bind to
different structures in a cell
Luminescence - Chemiluminescence
● Chemiluminescence: light produced from a
chemical reaction without an increase in
temperature
● Examples
○ Glow sticks
○ Industry, forensics - detect contamination
of biological compounds, impurities in
medication
○ Medical detection of hormones and drugs
in a sample
Luminescence - Bioluminescence
● Bioluminescence: light produced from a
chemical reaction by a living organism
(basically chemiluminescence in an
organism)
● Examples
○ Fireflies
Sadly, the fish
○ Jellyfish isn’t breathing
blue fire. But, it
○ Algae is spitting out
bioluminescent
○ Plankton plankton!
○ Fungi
Luminescence - Electric Discharge
● Electric Discharge: light produced from an electric current passing
through air or a gas
● Examples
○ Neon signs (different gases produce different colours)
○ Lightning
○ Plasma ball
Luminescence - Light-Emitting Diodes
● Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs): light produced when a small electric
current causes semiconductor materials (crystalline solids like silicon,
germanium, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, etc) to emit visible light
● Examples
○ LED light bulbs, strips
○ Christmas lights
Triboluminescence
● Triboluminescence: light produced from friction or crushing
● Examples (and you can try some of these at home)
○ Packing/duct tape being pulled apart
○ Quartz crystals
○ High glucose candies
Behaviour of Light
The Behaviour of Light
● Recall that light is made of electromagnetic waves
● Light waves travel in straight lines from an object to our eye
● A beam of light consists of multiple rays of light:
Parallel Beam Divergent Beam Convergent Beam The arrows on
each line show
the direction of
the ray
The Behaviour of Light
● When a ray of light strikes an object, three things can happen:
○ Transmission
○ Reflection
○ Absorption
The Behaviour of Light
● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:
○ Transmission: process in which light passes through an object and
continues to travel
■ Happens when light strikes transparent or translucent objects
The Behaviour of Light
● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:
○ Reflection: process in which light bounces off of an object
■ Happens with objects with reflective surfaces like mirrors,
metals, white objects
The Behaviour of Light
● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:
○ Absorption: process in which light is retained by an
object and converted into heat (thermal energy)
■ Black objects absorb all wavelengths of light
(why you wear lighter coloured clothing in the
summer to feel cooler)
■ White objects reflect all wavelengths of light
■ Coloured objects selectively absorb some
wavelengths and reflect others
The Behaviour of Light
● When light strikes an object, three things can happen:
○ Absorption: process in which light is retained by an
object and converted into heat (thermal energy)
■ Albedo: the amount of light that a surface
reflects
● Darker colours - lower albedo
● Lighter colours - higher albedo
Work Time!
● Homework questions are available
under the lesson tab
● These are especially important as
we are starting a unit, you want to
make sure you have the
foundations down so you aren’t lost
going forward
