Topic 8J Light Study Guide

8Ja: Light on the move:

Light is a way of transferring energy from one place to
another. Light is faster than sound when travelled.
Sound Light

Moves slower Moves faster

Has longitude waves Have transverse waves

Moves through all matters Moves through vacuums,

gases, some liquids and
some solids.
Light waves are represented as rays moving in straight
lines. Transparent materials are all the materials that light
can be transmitted through. Opaque objects are all the
objects that light cannot be transmitted through, but the
light waves some of them are reflected back and others
are absorbed making the object hotter by storing the
energy in the light. A translucent object is any object that
allows lights to be transmitted through it; however, the
light rays are scattered in different direction. And some of
the light is being reflected. We cannot see clearly through
translucent materials. All objects with different materials
can reflect light, but with different amounts. Any object
that can emit light is called a luminous objects which
means that they release light. We can see things because
the luminous object emits light which is then transferred
to the object where some of the lights is reflected and
transferred to our eyes.
 I. What is light?
II. What does light transfer?
III. Compare between light and sound. (state the speed
of motion only)
IV. What type of waves are the sound waves and light
waves?
V. What materials can sound pass through and the
materials light can pass through?
VI. How can we represent light waves?
VII. What is meant by transparent materials?
VIII. What is meant by opaque objects?
IX. What will happen to an object that has light being
absorbed into it?
X. True or False: All materials reflect light.
XI. What is a translucent object?
XII. Describe the movement of the waves between
transparent and translucent objects.
XIII. What are luminous objects?
XIV. How can we see objects arounds us?
XV. Write the scientific term for each of the words
following: pass, bouncing off and taken in.
8Jb Reflection of Light:

Mirrors are the best materials that can reflect objects. The
front of the mirror is made from glass and the back of the
mirror is an opaque object. The metal part of the mirror is
the one that reflects the light. In a mirror, we have a lot of
rays transferred to it and reflected back. A mirror has
many reflections taking place but in a simple one we will
have:
 Incident Ray: a ray from the luminous object to the
surface of the mirror.
 Normal Line: a line that is perpendicular to the
mirror’s surface and it must be dashed.
 Reflection Ray: a ray that is from the point where we
stopped at the incident line to the opposite.
 Incidence angle: an angles between the incident ray
and normal lone.
 Reflection angle: an angles between the normal line
and the reflection ray.
The law of reflection states that: the incident angle must
be equivalent to the reflection angle. This is called a
specular reflection.
All materials reflect light even transparent materials.
However, the amount of light rays reflected is different
according to the material the object is made out of.
Opaque material reflects most of the light, and the
reflected light rays are scattered in different direction.
This is called diffuse reflection and it occurs because light
ray that are reflected are reflected in different angles.
Images in mirrors show the rays of light spreading from a
luminous object. However, when we draw a diagram we
draw only a few amount of rays to make the diagram
simple. In an image in a plane mirror:
 The size of the objects in reality and reflection are the
same,
 The distance between the object and the mirror plane
is the same in reflection.
 The left side and right sides are swapped.
1) Which material is best at reflecting light: metal or glass?
Explain how you worked out your answer.
2) Light hits a plane mirror with an angle of incidence of 20".
What will the angle of reflection be?
3) Explain why you cannot see an image reflected by a piece of
paper.
4) Explain why you can see your reflection better in a piece of
metal if you polish the surface.
5) You stand 2 m in front of a plane mirror. Explain how far you
are from where the image appears to be.
6) Suggest why the lines on the right-hand side of diagram D
are shown as dotted lines.
7) The water in photo F is reflecting light.
8) A) ls this specular or diffuse reflection? Explain your answer.
C) Explain why you will not see an image in the water on a
windy day.
9) What objects are best for reflection?
 10) What is a mirror made out of?
11) Which part of a mirror reflects the light?
12) Does a mirror only have 1 ray of reflection?
13) What is meant by incident ray?
14) What is meant by reflection ray?
15) What is meant by normal line?
16) What is meant by reflection angle?
17) What is meant by incidence angle?
18) State the law of reflection.
19) What are the two types of reflection?
20) Which material reflects the mostly light waves?
21) What are image mirrors?
22) Why do we draw diagrams with only a few rays?
23) What are the things that should be in a plane
mirror image?

8Jc Refraction:

Lenses are objects mostly used in cameras to make

objects clearer. Lenses are used in microscopes to
examine and magnify or make objects bigger; however,
they are used in telescopes to make far objects look
closer. When light passes through lenses, the light is bent.
This is called refraction. Refraction is the bending of light
between two media. Refraction must occur between two
transparent Medias; in addition, refraction only occurs
when two objects meet.
Refraction happens because light travels at different
speed in different materials. Light travels the fastest in air
then comes water and finally glass because there is a
higher resistance between the light and the material it is
transmitting through. This will cause light to bend and
refraction occurring. When the light changes from low
density to high density this means high speed where the
refracted ray will be near to the normal line: however, if
the light travels from high density to low density then
refracted ray will be far apart from the normal line.

Lenses are curved pieces of glass or other transparent

materials. A converging lens is special because it links all
the light rays. The focal point in a converging lens is
where all the light rays meet. The focal length is the
distance between the focal point and the centre of the
lens. The light passes through the lens to the normal then
it refracts. However, the refracted ray will be further apart
from the normal line when it leaves the lens. When the
converging lens is fat, the light rays will converge (meet)
closer to the length itself; therefore, the focal length will
be shorter.

1) Why are lenses needed in: al cameras bl

telescopes cl microscopes?
2) What is refraction?
3) Draw a ray diagram to explain the following
terms: a I the normal bl the angle of incidence c I the
angle of refraction.
4) Explain why an object in water appears to be
closer than it really is?
5) Describe the shape of a converging lens.
6) Converging lenses can be fat or thin. a I What
would happen to rays of light if they shone through a
lens fatter than the one in diagram E? Draw a diagram
similar to diagram E to work out the answer. bl Would
this fatter lens have a longer or shorter focal length
than the lens in diagram E?
7) Light spreads out in all directions from a bulb.
Suggest how a converging lens can be used in a
theatre spotlight to make a parallel beam of light.
lnclude a diagram with your answer?
8) What objects does refraction occur in?
9) Why does refraction happen?
10) When will the refracted ray be near the normal
line and when will it be far away?
11) What is the refracted ray and angle of refraction?
12) What are lenses?
13) What is a converging lens?
14) Define focal point:
15) Define focal length:
16) When does refraction occur?
8Jd: Cameras and Eyes

The eye is like a camera, but natural. The eye has these
parts:
 The Cornea: The first part of the eye and it is
responsible to protect the eye, focuses the light and
allows light to pass through. It is transparent or
white.
 The Iris: The second part of the eye and it is the only
coloured part of the eye. It is responsible to control
the amount of light that passes through the pupil.
 The Pupil: It is a black whole inside the iris and it is
responsible of allowing the light to pass through the
eye.
 The Lens: The lens is just behind the iris and it is
responsible for focusing the light.
 The Ciliary Muscle: Attached to the lens and it is
responsible for changing the shape and thickness of
the lens.
 The Retina: The very back of the eye where the light
is changed into nerve impulses, so the brain can
understand it.
 The Optic nerve: Transfers the nerve impulses from
the eye to the brain.

Inside the retina there are two types of cells which are:
1. Rod: are cells to make the eye able to see in the dark
and low quality colours which are black and white.
2. Cones: are cells responsible to make the eye detect
the bright colours which are green, blue and red.
Primary colours are three which are blue, red and
green; however, the secondary colours are made by
mixture of primary and they are the mageta, cyan and
yellow.
Parts of a camera:
 Lens: to focus the image
 Aperture: allows light to pass through and controls
the amount of light passing through
 Shutter: Doesn’t allow light to pass when the
camera is not in use.
 Sensor: Changes the light energy into electrical
signals.
1. Which part of a camera: a I focuses light bl detects
light?
2. Which part of the eye is similar to: a I the aperture in a
camera bl the sensor.
3. Both an eye and a camera can focus on close or distant
objects. Describe what is different in the way they do
this.
4. Name the primary colours of light.
5. Name the two types of cell in the retina.
6. What is the coloured part of the eye?
7. What is the black whole part of the eye?
8. What is the white part of the eye?
9. What is the function of the cornea?
10. Where are the ciliary muscles?
11. Where is the pupil?
12. What is the function of the retina?
13. What is the function of the lens?
14. What is the function of the ciliary muscles?
15. What is the function of the optic nerve?
16. What is the function of the iris?
17. What is the function of the pupil?
 18. What are all the part of the eye?
19. What are the rods and cones?
20. What is the function shutter?
21. What is the function aperture?
22. What is the function sensor?
23. What is the function of the lens?
24. What are the primary and secondary
colours?

8Je: Colour

Sunlight is known as white light. This white light consists

of 7 different frequencies or colours that when they are
mixed they form the white light. These colours appear
when a prism disperses or splits the white light and this is
known as the dispersion of light. Dispersion of light is the
splitting of white light into seven different spectrum
colours. These colours can be known as:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
 Violet
Opaque Objects

White objects: We can see this object white because it

reflects all the spectrum colours forming a white light,
which is the colour our eyes see.
Black objects: We can see this object black because it
absorbed all the spectrum colours and did not reflect
any, so there is no coloured light to see which is black.
Coloured objects: We can see coloured objects because
this object absorbs all spectrum colours except its own
colour which we can see.

Coloured light can be made from white light using filters.

As white light passes through a filter, some of the colours
are absorbed. A red filter only allows red light to be
transmitted through the filter and all the other colours are
absorbed. lf a coloured light shines onto an object then
the object's colour may appear to change.This is because
there are fewer colours to be reflected in the light falling
on it.