Light...

ORB Education Quality Teaching Resources

 ORB Education
Visit http://www.orbedu.com for the full, editable versions
with solutions.

ScP033 – Mixed PowerPoints

 Consider the picture below…..

Belinda

Why can the Belinda see the cat, but not the dog?
 Let’s start at the beginning….

Light travels in
straight lines
This is why we cannot
see around corners.

This is also the reason

why shadows occur
when something gets in
the way of the light.
 How do we see things?

For you to be able to see an object, light must

travel from the object to your eye.

The light that hits the object usually comes from

somewhere else …
… maybe the Sun …
… or perhaps from a light bulb, candle or torch.
These are called ‘light sources’.
 How do we see things?

So, in order to see an object, light must travel

from the source to the object
It must then be ref lected off the object and
travel to your eyes.
 So, looking at that picture again...
Belinda can see the
cat.
This is because
light from the
source can reach
the cat ...

… and the reflected

light from the cat
can travel in a
straight line to
Belinda’s eyes.
 So, looking at that picture again...
Belinda can’t see
the dog.
Even though light
from the source can
reach the dog ...
… the reflected light
from the dog cannot
travel straight to
Belinda’s eyes.
 Consider the picture below…..

Can the girl see the person in the mask?

On your worksheet, draw light rays in order to
determine whether she can or not.
And the answer … No
 Summary so far

• Light travels in lines that are …

… straight.

• Some things, such as the Sun and light bulbs

give out their own light. These are called …
… light sources.
Other examples of light sources are …
… candles and torches.
 Summary so far

• Most things don’t give out their

own light. They simply …
… reflect the light that has come
from a source.

• For you to see the object, this

reflected light must be able to …
… travel in a straight line to your
eyes.
 Reflection from Smooth Surfaces

A very smooth surface, such as a Mirror

mirror or a still pond, will reflect a
beam of light in one direction
only.

A clear reflection is seen in the

surface.
This type of object is said to have a
glossy (or shiny) surface. These thin
beams of light
are called
‘light rays’.
 Reflection from Rough Surfaces
Surface of
Paper
Most objects are not smooth, (under a
especially when viewed under a microscope)
microscope.
In these cases, the light is
reflected in all directions.

A clear reflection is not seen in the

object.
This type of object is said to have a
‘Matt’ surface.
Which brings us to the Law of Reflection

Mirror

If a ray of light is
directed at a mirror … 700
… at a certain angle …
… it will be reflected
from the mirror … 700
… at exactly the same
angle.
Which brings us to the Law of Reflection

Or, in more theoretical Mirror

terms:

angle of 700
incidence, i
200
Normal
angle of 200
reflection, r
700

angle of incidence = angle of reflection

angle i = angle r
 Drawing Rays
Show on your diagram what happens to the ray
of light next.

mirror

400 400

Press the Spacebar when you have finished.

 Drawing Rays
… and this ray of light?

300 300

mirror

Press the Spacebar when you have finished.

 The Pyramids

The law of reflection has been known for some

time.
In fact, the pyramids in Egypt were decorated by
people who understood it.
The artists working in the Pharaoh’s tomb needed
to have enough light to see their painting.

They didn’t use oil lamps or

candles, because that would
have left marks on the walls
from the dark smoke.
The Pyramids
So that light
could be
reflected into
each chamber,
polished metal
mirrors were
placed along the
corridors!
The light could
then reflect all
the way to the
artist in the
tomb.
 The Pyramids

Unfortunately, each time light is reflected,

some of it is absorbed. The light intensity
would drop with each reflection.
The amount of light reaching the burial
chamber would have been very small.
The artists eyes, however, would have slowly
adjusted to the small amount of light.
When the artist left the tomb,
the daylight would have
seemed blindingly bright.
 The Pyramids

In this way, the artist’s life was

dedicated to the Pharaoh.
 Light Experiments
Claire is performing a light experiment.
Using a ray box, she sends a ray of light towards
a mirror.
mirror

100 100
ray box

She places a piece of paper underneath the ray

box and mirror, so that she can mark in the
direction of the ray before it strikes the mirror.
She can also trace the reflected ray.
 Light Experiments
Claire carries out the experiment five times,
using different angles each time.
These are the angles she directed the ray from:
a. 100
b. 200
c. 300
d. 450
e. 600
Using this information, fill in the table on your
worksheet.
 Light Experiments
This is the table that Claire completed after
measuring each of the angles.

Angle that light strikes the Angle that light reflects

mirror from the mirror

100 100
200 200
300 300
450 550
600 600

Which angle must Claire have recorded

incorrectly?
Answer: 450 / 550
Remainder removed from this sample presentation.

ORB Education Quality Teaching Resources

 ORB Education
Visit http://www.orbedu.com for the full, editable versions
with solutions.

ScP033 – Mixed PowerPoints