Light
Seán Finn
Department of Education
UCC
Light sources.
All of these objects can be seen in the dark
because they let out their own light-they are
luminous
How do we see objects that do not let out their
own light i.e. non luminous bodies?
• We can see them
when light from
another source
reflects from them.
• We will not be able
to see these objects
in the dark.
Killarney by night
Light travels from a source
When it is ABSOLUTELY
DARK you cannot see
anything at all
There might be
something HERE …
…but you cannot see it
Light travels from a source
…bounces off it and
travels to your EYE
EYE…
But in the daylight
RAYS OF LIGHT
RAYS OF LIGHT from
the SUN
SUN travel to this
object…
…and NOW
NOW you can see it
Light travels from a source
There are actually many RAYS OF
RAYS OF
LIGHT
LIGHT bouncing off the object but
the diagrams become too
complicated if you put them all in
Do all substances allow light to
pass through them?
Light will not pass through
substances like aluminium
foil.
Light will pass easily
through substances like
glass
Some light will pass
through certain substances
Opaque materials do not allow
light to pass through them.
Transparent materials
Light will pass very
easily through some
materials
cling film
glass window
plastic bottle
They are said to be
TRANSPARENT
Translucent materials
You cannot SEE through
a sheet of greaseproof
paper like you can see
through glass
But if you shine a torch
behind the greaseproof
paper you can see the
light but NOT exactly what
the torch looks like
D esign and makea model glasshouseusing a plastic
bottlethatwill allow lightto pass through
A cloche
Place thermometer in bottle next to light.
Note that the temperature of the air in the
bottle increases.
Investigation: Light travels in straight lines.
A
B
C
How light travels
…you can see
the view out of
the other end
If you look
through a long
cardboard
tube…
How light travels
…you cannot
see anything
out of the other
end
If you bend the
cardboard tube
and then look
through it…
How light travels
This is because light
travels in
STRAIGHT LINES
In this tube there is a
straight line from
one end to the other
In this tube there is
only a straight line
UP TO HERE
The light CANNOT go
any further
How shadows are formed
There many of rays of
light travelling in
STRAIGHT LINES
STRAIGHT LINES from
the torch
Some travel PAST
PAST the
ornament….
…but others “BUMP
BUMP
INTO
INTO” the ornament and
cannot travel any
further
Formation of shadows
torch
the OBJECT
OBJECT is
blocking the
light here
Light from the torch travelling in a
straight line CANNOT
CANNOT get behind
the OBJECT
OBJECT
OBJECT
OBJECT SHADOW
SHADOW on wall
Size of shadows
If light was able to travel in CURVES
CURVES
then we would not get SHADOWS
SHADOWS
BUT LIGHT
ONLY
TRAVELS IN
STRAIGHT
LINES
Size of shadows
As the toy is moved towards the
wall the shadow gets smaller
shadow getting smaller
Size of shadows
shadow getting smaller
Size of shadows
shadow getting smaller
Size of shadows
shadow getting smaller
Size of shadows
LARGE SHADOW
when the toy is
close to the light
SMALLER
SHADOW when the
toy is further from
the light
TINY SHADOW
when the toy is a
long way from the
light
Formation of shadows
By using a mixture of
opaque, translucent and
transparent materials
you can create shapes
to produce shadow
puppets
Shadow puppets
Here a simple cardboard shape (opaque)
has holes made in it (transparent) to
provide eyes and a mouth
This is a picture of a very
complicated shadow
puppet
It is made from opaque wire
and transparent materials that
are also coloured giving the
shadow produced a very
colourful appearance
Shadow puppets
Shadows from the sun
Here you can see shadows
formed outside by the SUN
Notice that the shadows are
different sizes at different
times of the day
SHORT, VERY
DARK shadow
LONG, LIGHTER
shadow
Shadows from the sun
To see how shadows
change during the
day stand in a FIXED
position and then get
someone to draw
round your shadow
using chalk or water-
based paint
A few hours later
stand in EXACTLY the
same place and
again get some one
to draw around your
shadow
Shadows from the sun
This will show you how much
shadows change over a few hours
To see how shadows
change during the
day stand in a FIXED
position and then get
someone to draw
round your shadow
using chalk or water-
based paint
A few hours later
stand in EXACTLY the
same place and
again get some one
to draw around your
shadow
Measuring shadows
Measuring the length of shadows
On a SUNNY day set up a
stick on a clear piece of
ground
Using a ruler CAREFULLY
measure the length of the
shadow
Notice what time it is and
then record your result in a
table like this
Table of results
4.00 pm
3.00 pm
2.00 pm
1.00 pm
12.00 noon
11.00 am
10.00 am
47 cm
9.00 am
Length of
shadow
Time
EVERY HOUR go
back to the stick and
again measure the
length of the shadow
Size of shadows
10.00 am 12.00 noon
2.00 pm 4.00 pm
Table of results
49 cm
4.00 pm
45 cm
3.00 pm
42 cm
2.00 pm
35 cm
1.00 pm
22 cm
12.00 noon
37 cm
11.00 am
43 cm
10.00 am
47 cm
9.00 am
Length of
shadow
Time
These results can
then be put into a
BAR CHART to help
you see a PATTERN
in your results
Shadows during the day
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Length
of
shadow
(cms)
9 am 10 am 11 am 12 noon 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm
Time
The bar chart shows that the
shadow is shortest at 12 noon
Light and dark
The light is broken up
into dark and light
stripes
This is a ray
of light
shining from
a torch
Put a
comb in
front of
the torch
The comb lets light
through the gaps, but
stops it passing through
the prongs
Day and night
The Earth moves, the Sun stays still
This is the Sun
This is the EARTH
looking down on
the Arctic
These are the rays
from the SUN
lighting up the
EARTH
This is the half of the
Earth that light from
the Sun reaches - DAY
This is the half that
light from the Sun does
NOT reach - NIGHT
The sun gives us heat and light
without which we could not live
Light is a form of energy
Experiment: To make a solar
panel
Perspex sheet
Water
Thermometer
Light is made up of seven colors.
-The spectrum
Making a spectrum
The rainbow.
Making a spectrum
Making a spectrum
Mixing of light
Not all objects reflect light.
• Black objects
absorb all light
and do not
reflect any.
• White objects
reflect all light
• Red objects
absorb blue and
green light and
reflect red light.
Reflection
• We see most objects
because they reflect light.
• Most objects reflect light is
a diffuse way.
• In some objects that are
smooth and opaque regular
reflection occurs.
Activity: To investigate
reflection
• Place mirror on white paper.
• Shine a ray into the mirror at an angle.
• Note the position of the reflected ray.
• Change the angle at that the ray makes by
moving the light box.
Ray box
Mirror
The periscope
Two mirrors
parallel to each
other at 450
Making a periscope
Curved mirrors
Concave mirror
Concave mirors can produce images
that are right way up or upside down
also larger or smaller. If you place your
face close to the mirror your image will
by magnified and right way up.
Use: Shaving and make-up mirrors
Convex mirrors
• Always produce an image that is right way
up and diminished.
• They are used seeing around corners and in
shops for security.
Refraction
To investigate refraction
• Shine a ray of light through a glass block at
an angle.
• Look at the ray of light in the glass from
above.
• Increase the angle between the glass and the
ray box.
• What do you notice?
Why does refraction occur?
Refraction
To investigate refration in a
liquid
Lenses
Explore how objects may be magnified using
simple lens or magnifier
Lenses opperate due to refraction
Use of lenses
• Camera
• Telescope
• Binoculars
• Glasses
• Microscopes
The telescope
• Two convex lenses, the
objective and the eyepiece.
• Eyepiece has a short focal
length
• Objective has a long focal
length
• Object to be observed at
least 10 m away.
• Telescope has to be
focused by varying
distance between lenses
(sum of focal lengths)
• Magnification is the ratio
of focal lengths
Be aware of the dangers of excessive
sunlight dangers of looking directly at the
sun effect of the sun’s rays on skin
•Sunlight contains ultra-violet
(UV)light.
•If sunlight enters the eye it
will kill the cells of the retina.
These will not grow back.
•. UV light on the skin causes
sunburn and aging of the skin
and may caues skin cancer.
•Suncream absorbs UV light
The telescope
D esign and make model telescopes
Tubing
Plastic wrap
Appreciate the importance of sight
The iris
controlls the
amount of
light entering
the eye
Bright Dark
Structure of the eye
The lense of
the eye
focuses light
onto the retina
which is
carried to the
brain via the
optic nerve
Understand the role of sunlight in
photosynthesis
• Plants make their own food using sunlight in a
process called photosnthesis.
• Without light plants cannot grow.
• We eat plants for food or we eat animals/ animal
products that have eaten plants.
Why the Moon seems to change
The MOON looks different
depending on where it is in
relation to the SUN
From the Earth you cannot
see any light hitting the
Moon in this position
New Moon
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Waxing crescent
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
Last quarter
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
Waxing gibbous
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
Full Moon
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
Waning gibbous
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
Waning crescent
This is what the
Moon looks like
from Earth
Why the Moon seems to change
To demonstrate why the shape of
the Moon changes
Solar Eclipse
Lunar Eclipse
It is VERY
DANGEROUS to look
DIRECTLY at the Sun
or at a REFLECTION of
the Sun – it could
make you BLIND
Infants and Junior Classes
(Teacher guidelines)
• Identify different light sources
• Explore the effect of light on materials
• Identify materials that are transparent or
opaque.
• Experiment with shadows and reflections
Middle and senior classes
(Teacher guidelines)
• Distinguish between natural and artificial sources
of light.
• Explore that white light is made up of many
different colours.
• Investigate how light rays change direction as they
pass through water and learn that this process is
called refraction.
• Understand that mirrors and other shiney surfaces
can change the direction of light.
• Explore how lenses are used to make things look
bigger and smaller.
Science Curriculum.
Infant and Junior Classes
Science Curriculum.
First and second classes
Science Curriculum.
Third and fourth classes
Science Curriculum.
Fifth and sixth classes

Light

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Light sources. All ofthese objects can be seen in the dark because they let out their own light-they are luminous
  • 4.
    How do wesee objects that do not let out their own light i.e. non luminous bodies? • We can see them when light from another source reflects from them. • We will not be able to see these objects in the dark. Killarney by night
  • 5.
    Light travels froma source When it is ABSOLUTELY DARK you cannot see anything at all There might be something HERE … …but you cannot see it
  • 6.
    Light travels froma source …bounces off it and travels to your EYE EYE… But in the daylight RAYS OF LIGHT RAYS OF LIGHT from the SUN SUN travel to this object… …and NOW NOW you can see it
  • 7.
    Light travels froma source There are actually many RAYS OF RAYS OF LIGHT LIGHT bouncing off the object but the diagrams become too complicated if you put them all in
  • 9.
    Do all substancesallow light to pass through them? Light will not pass through substances like aluminium foil. Light will pass easily through substances like glass Some light will pass through certain substances
  • 10.
    Opaque materials donot allow light to pass through them.
  • 11.
    Transparent materials Light willpass very easily through some materials cling film glass window plastic bottle They are said to be TRANSPARENT
  • 12.
    Translucent materials You cannotSEE through a sheet of greaseproof paper like you can see through glass But if you shine a torch behind the greaseproof paper you can see the light but NOT exactly what the torch looks like
  • 13.
    D esign andmakea model glasshouseusing a plastic bottlethatwill allow lightto pass through A cloche Place thermometer in bottle next to light. Note that the temperature of the air in the bottle increases.
  • 14.
    Investigation: Light travelsin straight lines. A B C
  • 15.
    How light travels …youcan see the view out of the other end If you look through a long cardboard tube…
  • 16.
    How light travels …youcannot see anything out of the other end If you bend the cardboard tube and then look through it…
  • 17.
    How light travels Thisis because light travels in STRAIGHT LINES In this tube there is a straight line from one end to the other In this tube there is only a straight line UP TO HERE The light CANNOT go any further
  • 18.
    How shadows areformed There many of rays of light travelling in STRAIGHT LINES STRAIGHT LINES from the torch Some travel PAST PAST the ornament…. …but others “BUMP BUMP INTO INTO” the ornament and cannot travel any further
  • 19.
    Formation of shadows torch theOBJECT OBJECT is blocking the light here Light from the torch travelling in a straight line CANNOT CANNOT get behind the OBJECT OBJECT OBJECT OBJECT SHADOW SHADOW on wall
  • 20.
    Size of shadows Iflight was able to travel in CURVES CURVES then we would not get SHADOWS SHADOWS BUT LIGHT ONLY TRAVELS IN STRAIGHT LINES
  • 21.
    Size of shadows Asthe toy is moved towards the wall the shadow gets smaller shadow getting smaller
  • 22.
    Size of shadows shadowgetting smaller
  • 23.
    Size of shadows shadowgetting smaller
  • 24.
    Size of shadows shadowgetting smaller
  • 25.
    Size of shadows LARGESHADOW when the toy is close to the light SMALLER SHADOW when the toy is further from the light TINY SHADOW when the toy is a long way from the light
  • 26.
  • 27.
    By using amixture of opaque, translucent and transparent materials you can create shapes to produce shadow puppets Shadow puppets Here a simple cardboard shape (opaque) has holes made in it (transparent) to provide eyes and a mouth
  • 28.
    This is apicture of a very complicated shadow puppet It is made from opaque wire and transparent materials that are also coloured giving the shadow produced a very colourful appearance Shadow puppets
  • 29.
    Shadows from thesun Here you can see shadows formed outside by the SUN Notice that the shadows are different sizes at different times of the day SHORT, VERY DARK shadow LONG, LIGHTER shadow
  • 30.
    Shadows from thesun To see how shadows change during the day stand in a FIXED position and then get someone to draw round your shadow using chalk or water- based paint A few hours later stand in EXACTLY the same place and again get some one to draw around your shadow
  • 31.
    Shadows from thesun This will show you how much shadows change over a few hours To see how shadows change during the day stand in a FIXED position and then get someone to draw round your shadow using chalk or water- based paint A few hours later stand in EXACTLY the same place and again get some one to draw around your shadow
  • 32.
  • 33.
    Measuring the lengthof shadows On a SUNNY day set up a stick on a clear piece of ground Using a ruler CAREFULLY measure the length of the shadow Notice what time it is and then record your result in a table like this
  • 34.
    Table of results 4.00pm 3.00 pm 2.00 pm 1.00 pm 12.00 noon 11.00 am 10.00 am 47 cm 9.00 am Length of shadow Time EVERY HOUR go back to the stick and again measure the length of the shadow
  • 35.
    Size of shadows 10.00am 12.00 noon 2.00 pm 4.00 pm
  • 36.
    Table of results 49cm 4.00 pm 45 cm 3.00 pm 42 cm 2.00 pm 35 cm 1.00 pm 22 cm 12.00 noon 37 cm 11.00 am 43 cm 10.00 am 47 cm 9.00 am Length of shadow Time These results can then be put into a BAR CHART to help you see a PATTERN in your results
  • 37.
    Shadows during theday 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Length of shadow (cms) 9 am 10 am 11 am 12 noon 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm Time The bar chart shows that the shadow is shortest at 12 noon
  • 38.
    Light and dark Thelight is broken up into dark and light stripes This is a ray of light shining from a torch Put a comb in front of the torch The comb lets light through the gaps, but stops it passing through the prongs
  • 39.
  • 40.
    The Earth moves,the Sun stays still This is the Sun This is the EARTH looking down on the Arctic These are the rays from the SUN lighting up the EARTH This is the half of the Earth that light from the Sun reaches - DAY This is the half that light from the Sun does NOT reach - NIGHT
  • 41.
    The sun givesus heat and light without which we could not live
  • 42.
    Light is aform of energy
  • 43.
    Experiment: To makea solar panel Perspex sheet Water Thermometer
  • 44.
    Light is madeup of seven colors. -The spectrum
  • 45.
  • 46.
  • 47.
  • 48.
  • 49.
  • 50.
    Not all objectsreflect light. • Black objects absorb all light and do not reflect any. • White objects reflect all light • Red objects absorb blue and green light and reflect red light.
  • 51.
    Reflection • We seemost objects because they reflect light. • Most objects reflect light is a diffuse way. • In some objects that are smooth and opaque regular reflection occurs.
  • 52.
    Activity: To investigate reflection •Place mirror on white paper. • Shine a ray into the mirror at an angle. • Note the position of the reflected ray. • Change the angle at that the ray makes by moving the light box. Ray box Mirror
  • 53.
  • 54.
  • 55.
  • 56.
    Concave mirror Concave mirorscan produce images that are right way up or upside down also larger or smaller. If you place your face close to the mirror your image will by magnified and right way up. Use: Shaving and make-up mirrors
  • 58.
    Convex mirrors • Alwaysproduce an image that is right way up and diminished. • They are used seeing around corners and in shops for security.
  • 59.
  • 60.
    To investigate refraction •Shine a ray of light through a glass block at an angle. • Look at the ray of light in the glass from above. • Increase the angle between the glass and the ray box. • What do you notice?
  • 61.
  • 62.
  • 63.
  • 65.
  • 66.
    Explore how objectsmay be magnified using simple lens or magnifier
  • 67.
    Lenses opperate dueto refraction
  • 68.
    Use of lenses •Camera • Telescope • Binoculars • Glasses • Microscopes
  • 69.
    The telescope • Twoconvex lenses, the objective and the eyepiece. • Eyepiece has a short focal length • Objective has a long focal length • Object to be observed at least 10 m away. • Telescope has to be focused by varying distance between lenses (sum of focal lengths) • Magnification is the ratio of focal lengths
  • 70.
    Be aware ofthe dangers of excessive sunlight dangers of looking directly at the sun effect of the sun’s rays on skin •Sunlight contains ultra-violet (UV)light. •If sunlight enters the eye it will kill the cells of the retina. These will not grow back. •. UV light on the skin causes sunburn and aging of the skin and may caues skin cancer. •Suncream absorbs UV light
  • 71.
  • 72.
    D esign andmake model telescopes Tubing Plastic wrap
  • 73.
    Appreciate the importanceof sight The iris controlls the amount of light entering the eye Bright Dark
  • 74.
    Structure of theeye The lense of the eye focuses light onto the retina which is carried to the brain via the optic nerve
  • 75.
    Understand the roleof sunlight in photosynthesis • Plants make their own food using sunlight in a process called photosnthesis. • Without light plants cannot grow. • We eat plants for food or we eat animals/ animal products that have eaten plants.
  • 76.
    Why the Moonseems to change The MOON looks different depending on where it is in relation to the SUN From the Earth you cannot see any light hitting the Moon in this position New Moon This is what the Moon looks like from Earth
  • 77.
    Waxing crescent This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 78.
    Last quarter This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 79.
    Waxing gibbous This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 80.
    Full Moon This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 81.
    Waning gibbous This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 82.
    Waning crescent This iswhat the Moon looks like from Earth Why the Moon seems to change
  • 83.
    To demonstrate whythe shape of the Moon changes
  • 84.
  • 85.
  • 86.
    It is VERY DANGEROUSto look DIRECTLY at the Sun or at a REFLECTION of the Sun – it could make you BLIND
  • 87.
    Infants and JuniorClasses (Teacher guidelines) • Identify different light sources • Explore the effect of light on materials • Identify materials that are transparent or opaque. • Experiment with shadows and reflections
  • 88.
    Middle and seniorclasses (Teacher guidelines) • Distinguish between natural and artificial sources of light. • Explore that white light is made up of many different colours. • Investigate how light rays change direction as they pass through water and learn that this process is called refraction. • Understand that mirrors and other shiney surfaces can change the direction of light. • Explore how lenses are used to make things look bigger and smaller.
  • 89.
  • 90.
  • 91.
  • 92.