ALL ABOUT

LIGHT!!
A

A resource guide for

teachers and students
By Michelle Krell
3787549

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 Contents
ALL ABOUT LIGHT

WHAT IS LIGHT? Page 3

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM Page 4

COLOUR Page 5

REFLECTION AND REFRACTION Page 7

LENSES Page 8

ATOMS Page 9-10

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS Page 11

EXPERIMENTS INVOLVING LIGHT (4) Page 12-17

ACTIVITES (word search, fill the blanks etc.) Page 19-21

ACTIVITY ANSWERS Page 22-23

GLOSSARY Page 24-26

REFERENCES Page 27

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What is LIGHT!! ?
Light must have the following
3 things-
- Source
- Object
- Detector
A Source is where the light is
coming from e.g. the Sun, a
light bulb, a candle flame etc

An Object is something that

the light reflects off e.g. a
book, a person etc. (Keep in
mind that sometimes the
Object can also be the light
source).

And the Detector is our EYE.

Light is very important for our existence on Earth. Without light we wouldn‟t have plants,
therefore no crops would grow for people or for animals. We would have no heat generated
from the sun therefore it would be a frozen, barren world. So what is light exactly?

Fun Facts!!
- Our major source of light is the SUN
- Light travels faster than sound
- Light travels 300,000 kilometres per second!!
- We see things because they „reflect‟ into our eyes
- There are TWO types of light- Luminous- objects
that emit their own light (sun) and Non- luminous-
object that does not emit light (the moon)
- Light can pass through something that is
transparent (like a window), can slightly pass
through something that is translucent (a frosted
window or a jelly fish), but cannot pass through
something that is opaque (like a brick wall).

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 LIGHT!! is known as having Wave-Particle Duality.
As stated by K. Spring et al, the exact nature of visible
light is a mystery that has puzzled man for centuries. It
was once said that every visible object emits a steady
stream of particles however it has also been said that
light travels in a manner of waves similar to those in the
ocean.

Electromagnetic Spectrum
This is all the different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation including radio waves, light
waves, x-ray waves etc. The Visible light (light waves) covers the range of wavelengths from
400 - 700 nm.
Gamma Radiation- deadly high energy
given out by the sun and other stars
X-rays- high energy used in x-ray
equipment
Ultraviolet rays- invisible sunlight energy
waves that cause the skin to tan
Visible Light- the basic colours of light
emitted by the sun and visible to the eye-
colours of the spectrum- ROYGBIV
Infrared rays- rays of heat energy- felt by our nervous systems
Radio waves- microwaves, radio energy & TV‟s

Waves
A wavelength is the distance between two troughs or two crests. The frequency is the number of
wavelengths that pass through a given point in one second. The speed of the wavelength equals
the frequency times the wavelength. The longer the wavelength = the less energy. The higher
the frequency = the shorter the wavelength. The lower the frequency = the longer the
wavelength. Amplitude is a measure of how much energy the wave has.

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Colour
Colour is only possible because of light. Visible light is made up of all different colours. These
different colours of light are seen when we see a rainbow. Red, Green, and Blue are the primary
colours. When we look at the rainbow we see all the colours of the light spectrum. These
colours are RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO and VIOLET. To remember
these colours there are a number of ways to make it easier- ROY-G-BIV is the most common
acronym.

As stated in the NASAs Optics educational guide to see the colours that make up white light
(sunlight) Sir Isaac Newton used a prism. The light passed through one side of the prism and
out the other end shone the visible spectrum broken down into the colours of the rainbow-
ROYGBIV.
The colour of an object is seen because the object reflects, absorbs and transmits one or more
colours that make up light.

The primary colours of light are different to those of paint. You may know from doing art at
school that the primary colours of paint are- blue, red and yellow. But in the form of light, the
primary colours are Red, Green and Blue.
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When we add colours together we get different colours.
Red + Blue = Magenta
Blue + Green = Cyan
Red + Green = Yellow.

By adding ALL the primary colours together you get what is known as „White light‟. Below is a
diagram to help you understand.

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Reflection and Refraction
Reflection involves two rays- incoming ray (incident ray) and an outgoing ray (reflected ray). If
you draw a line perpendicular to a flat surface, this line is referred to as the „normal‟. The Law
of Reflection (Snell‟s Law) states the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

Reflection from a smooth, mirror-like surface is known as „specular‟. If the surface is rough, the
rays of light are reflected in many directions; the angles of incidence and reflection are still
equal but appear scattered. This is known as diffuse reflection.

Refraction is when light ray changes mediums. The speed of light changes when it enters a
different medium, e.g. light travelling through air then through water is an example of refraction
due to the different mediums. In most cases the direction of light changes, giving the illusion
that the light is bending. The different densities will cause the ray to slow down or speed up.
When light enters a denser medium (light travels slower), the ray bends towards the normal,
when the light enters a rarer medium (light travels faster) it is bent away from the normal.

FAST→ SLOW bends towards normal

SLOW → FAST bends away from the normal

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Lenses
A Lens is a transparent material (such as glass) that either has one flat surface and a curved
surface, or two curved surfaces.
Lenses are able to form magnified or reduced images, or to concentrate or spread light rays.
They are used as an aid for defective sight in the form of glasses and contact lenses and in
optical instruments such as microscopes, telescopes and cameras.

Have you ever looked at yourself in a spoon? Have you noticed that on one side of the spoon
you look upside down and on the other you look quite wide? This has got to do with the shape.

There are two basic types- CONCAVE and CONVEX.

Concave
- The surface curves inwards
- The lens causes light rays to spread apart or diverge
- And a mirror causes light rays to meet or converge- this is why in a spoon you look upside
down
- Is thinner in the middle

Convex
- The surface curves outwards
- The lens caused light rays to meet or converge
- And a mirror causes light rays to spread apart or diverge, that is why you look wider on the
other side of the spoon
- Is thicker in the middle

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Light and Atoms
All matter is made up of Atoms, they are the building blocks. The atom contains a nucleus- this
contains a positive charge. Surrounding the nucleus is electrons- these are negatively charged
and are very small.

Energy- comes in two forms- heat and light. Light is a form of electromagnetic energy and is
made up of different waves that could be described or differentiated based on their wavelength,
and their frequency. This can also determine their energy levels.

Atoms emit light (expel/give off) by reflecting light. Atoms take in the sun‟s rays and absorb
them. Darker colours (blue, red and black) absorb more of the sun‟s rays and lighter colours
(yellow, white and orange) reflect more of the sun‟s light rays.

Photoluminescence talks about- light emission that is due to something absorbing heat energy,
Electroluminescence talks about- production of gases from electron discharge
Thermo luminescence talks about- light emission due to slight heating
Triboluminescence talks about- light emission due to friction
Crystlloluminescence talks about- light emission due to crystillisation
Chemiluminescence talks about light emission due to a chemical process

When an Atom is given extra energy- such as being heated by flames, or absorbing a photon
(which is a bundle of electromagnetic energy) the electrons gain energy. This is known as an
„excited state‟. Electrons don‟t stay „excited‟ for very long, and soon return to their ground
state- by releasing THE SAME amount of energy they first absorbed in the first place to
become excited. Therefore whatever they take in- is what is released to return to normal.

The following diagram explanation should help in understanding atoms and the energy that is
absorbed and emitted.

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→

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Optical Illusions - FUN

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 EXPERIMENTS
EXPERIMENT 1
Making a Rainbow Spinner
Materials
Pencil White cardboard
Scissors a ruler
Glue Coloured pencils/texta/crayons
String (optional) Hole punch (optional)
Glass (to trace)

Instructions
1- Use the glass to trace 2 circles on the
cardboard, and cut them out
2- Use the ruler to divide the circles into 7
even sections
3- Colour these sections in using Red,
Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Indigo and
Violet to simulate the colour spectrum
4- Glue both circles together so the colours
can be seen on both sides
As an alternative to step 5
- You can poke a pencil through the middle of the
circle, making sure the pencil is evenly through.
- Put sticky tape on either side of the pencil to
secure its current position
- Hold the pencil in the palms of both hands and
5- Carefully make 2 small holes (1cm apart)
around the middle of the circle and thread
the string evenly through the holes
6- Make a circle motion with your hands so
you flick the spinner around until the string
is twisted
7- Stop the circular motion and pull your
hands apart and back this will cause the
spinner to spin very quickly
move your hands back and forth (this moves the
pencil and then coloured spinner too)
- Increase the movement of your hands to make the
spinner spin fast and the colours will then blend.

Observations
- The colours blend when spun fast enough and they make the colour white!! But why?
- When the spinner spins very fast the brain cannot separate each colour, so we see a mixture of
all the colours drawn and this is white.
- The spinner may look grey but this is because the colours are not pure.

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- Observe the pattern on the spinning circle. What do you see?
- What colours do you see?
- Did the colours seem to mix and become other colours?
Make a spectroscope with only 3 colours.
- How can you make green? Orange? Brown?
- Try to make other colours. Keep experimenting with your 3 colours

Additional Activities Show diffraction Grating by using a computer screen that is on, and a
grate. Move the grate to see the light coming from the computer that is behind the grate, then
change the grate vertical to see black. This is due to diffraction and that the waves cannot pass
the grate to get to the eye because they are not the right shape to pass through.
Place an empty glass and/or water bottle in front and play with the angles of the grate to see
colours.

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EXPERIMENT 2
A Spectroscope
A spectroscope is a device that lets us find out what things are made of. It‟s used to measure
various properties of light waves. It can measure the intensity of light, its wave length, or its
polarisation. It works by taking light in, and splitting it up into its component colours.
Different elements make different
colours when they glow. The
spectroscope spreads out the colours of
light and we can identify the elements
by the bright lines we see in the
spectroscope.

From the energy that is broken down

into its colours, we then can plot the
colours on the light spectrum.

Materials middle (not the whole roll!!)

Glue Gun Black cardboard
CD Scissors
Toilet Roll- Just the cardboard from the Pen/Pencil

Instructions 5 - Glue down the black cardboard pieces,

1- Cut a circle of the CD, using the toilet roll leaving a small gap between them (keeping
as a stencil in mind the smaller the gap, the better the
2 - Cut the circle out experiment will turn out)
3 - Glue the CD circle cut out to one of the 6 - Bring the spectroscope to your eye, look
toilet roll through the CD end, and record the colours
4 - Cut two squares out of the black you see.
cardboard

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Observations
- Look into the spectroscope and describe what you see
- Try different light sources. DON‟T AIM THIS SPECTROSCOPE TOWARDS THE SUN. You can
look at a reflection from a white piece of paper
- Observe the colours. Start with the first colour on the left and list them in the table (below) in the
order that you see them
- Does each light source produce the same group of colours or spectrum?

Light Source Colours

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EXPERIMENT 3
A Laser Course using mini-mirrors
A Laser cannot bend, however they can be reflect.
Mirrors reflect light and the type of mirror can
depend on the reflection.
The mirror shape depends on the reflection. If the
mirror is CONCAVE- light is made to converge
(narrow) and the reflection with be inverted. If the
mirror is CONVEX- light is diverged (spread out),
just like looking at yourself in a spoon.

Materials
A3 sheet of white paper Pencil/Pen to mark positions of the mirrors
Handheld Laser Patience as this may take a little while to get
Mini-mirrors right

Instructions
1- Find the designated „Start‟ and „Finish‟
zone for the laser
2- Put the laser on the „Start‟ zone
3- Work around the A3 piece of paper using
the mirrors to reflect the laser light until it
reaches the „Finish‟ zone
4- Mirrors can be moved back and forth and
on different angle to get optimum result
5- Mark where the mirrors are on the piece
of paper
6- Finish with 6 different courses to reach
the „Finish‟ zone.

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Observations
- The laser angle of incidence is equal to the laser angle of reflection. (This means the angle that
the laser hits a „flat‟ mirror at, will be equal to the angle it gets reflected)
- Record the angles of reflection from the flat mini-mirrors used in the course

EXPERIMENT 4
Laser Light ‘Bending’ with Water
This experiment displays the Refraction of
light. This is essentially the bending of a
wave when is enters a medium where its
speed is different.
Fast → Slow medium bends the light towards
the normal boundary
Slow → Fast medium bends the light away
from the normal boundary

Materials
Laser
Bottle of water with small puncture ¼ from the bottom
Container to catch the water pouring out of the bottle

Instructions
1- Use a skewer to make a puncture (hole) in
the bottle about 8cm from the base/ ¼ from
the bottom.
2- Fill ¾ of the bottle with water, making
sure to cover the hole, either with some tape,
blu tack or your finger
3- Set the laser on some block to be in exact
same line as the hole (when the laser is on, it
must be shining straight through the hole or
this experiment will not work)
4- Uncover the hole and watch the water
spill out of the hole and see the laser
following the water and bending with the
stream!

Observations
- The laser light follows the stream of water all the way down and seems to be bending!!
- A laser light is trapped inside the stream of water by total internal reflection.
- The laser bounces of the particles in the water and reflects and then bounces off another
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particle and reflects; therefore it cannot get out of the stream of water and continues to bounce
of particles all the way down the stream of water giving the effect that the laser light is bending.

Possible Questions-
Q- Why is the sky blue?
A- The sky is blue due to scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths
pass straight through. (This being red, orange and yellow). However the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by
gas molecules, this is then radiated in different directions and scattered around the sky.

Q- What is a photon?
A- A photon is a separate bundle or electromagnetic energy. They are always in motion and in a vacuum have
a constant speed of light to all observers. They also can be destroyed/created when radiation is absorbed/emitted

Q- What causes a bubble to have colours in it?

A- Light waves become trapped within the bubble solution and bounce around in the bubble. When a light
wave hits the surface of the bubble, part of the light is reflected back to the viewers eye and it is also reflected
within the bubble itself. When the bubble wall gets thinner, due to a weak solution of gravity, the waves start to
cancel each other out and the bubble becomes nearly invisible.

Q- What colours make white light?

A- Primary colours that make white light are Red, Green and Blue. However all colours of the spectrum can
make white, if at the right frequencies

Q- Why do we get burnt?

A- Due to the high amount of Ultra-Violet rays from the sun makes us sun burnt
Q- How do I remember the colours of the rainbow?
A- With the acronym- ROY-G-BIV- Stands for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet
Q- Why when I‟m wearing black do I get hot but not when I wear white?
A- Because White reflects all colours but black absorbs all colours and also their energy. That‟s why in
summer you should wear white.

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 ACTIVITIES
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. Light cannot bend around objects. It travels in a ........................ line only.

2. Shadows form when objects block light. These objects are..............

3. Objects that let light pass through them are called.................

4. We see objects because light rays enter our...........after bouncing off rough surfaces.

5. Light cannot ............... around a corner, but it can be reflected.

6. Light is reflected at .......... angles from a mirror.

7. Mirrors show images that are....................

8. Refraction is when waves ............................ or slow down due to travelling in a different

medium.

9. Light rays are slowed down by water and are .............., making it look odd.

10. A cars side mirror is an example of .................

11. Photoluminescence is about light emission due to ......................... of light energy

Straight Opaque Transparent Eyes Bend Equal

Back-to-front Speed-up Bent Convex Absorption

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 TRUE OR FALSE
The SUN is a light source TRUE FALSE

A Candle is a light source TRUE FALSE

A computer screen is a light source TRUE FALSE

A light bulb is a light source TRUE FALSE

The MOON is a light source TRUE FALSE

Does light travel is straight lines? TRUE FALSE

Light hits an object and bounces off, this is a reflection TRUE FALSE

Dull objects reflect MORE light than bright objects TRUE FALSE

Shiny objects reflect MORE light than rough objects TRUE FALSE

Shadows are formed when an object doesn‟t block light TRUE FALSE

The closer an object is to a light source the smaller is it TRUE FALSE

A mirror that is curved outwards is known as „Concave‟ TRUE FALSE

When atoms get excited this is known as „ground state‟ TRUE FALSE

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 Word Search
Light
light reflection shadow beam source
mirror refraction sun candle transparent
translucent opaque waves luminous

s s f e C h u j s u n h y b n k
l u e s D r t c x d e f h u j k
p o m n B h f d o p a q u e d e
c n t e G u j h t f c d g o e c
f i e i T u y h j I u o l s p y
t m l y G r e f l e c t i o n n
n u m s J h a t f r d e I u n k
e l j h B h g n r d c x z r g t
r b e a M g r d s w s r f c g p
a o k d U h m t f l e w a e g e
p c a o H n j i t f u u h y b g
s m n w A v e s r w a c f r u y
n p l k M n b a g r c t e e s d
a w q a T r c h u j o m k n l m
r r g v H t k l f r w r e a t e
t t h b I u k l p o n h y j k l
h e d o S g t f r d h j b v r e
d I n p L j u b h e l d n a c s

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 ACTIVITY Answers
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. Light cannot bend around objects. It travels in a STRAIGHT line only.
2. Shadows form when objects block light. These objects are OPAQUE
3. Objects that let light pass through them are called TRANSPARENT
4. We see objects because light rays enter our EYES after bouncing off rough surfaces
5. Light cannot BEND around a corner, but it can be reflected
6. Light is reflected at EQUAL angles from a mirror
7. Mirrors show images that are BACK-TO-FRONT
8. Refraction is when waves SPEED UP or slow down due to travelling in a different medium.
9. Light rays are slowed down by water and are BENT, making it look odd.
10. A cars side mirror is an example of CONVEX
11. Photoluminescence is about light emission due to ABSORPTION of light energy

TRUE OR FALSE
The SUN is a light source TRUE FALSE
A Candle is a light source TRUE FALSE
A computer screen is a light source TRUE FALSE
A light bulb is a light source TRUE FALSE
The MOON is a light source TRUE FALSE
Does light travel is straight lines? TRUE FALSE
Light hits an object and bounces off, this is a reflection TRUE FALSE
Dull objects reflect MORE light than bright objects TRUE FALSE
Shiny objects reflect MORE light than rough objects TRUE FALSE
Shadows are formed when an object doesn‟t block light TRUE FALSE
The closer an object is to a light source the smaller is it TRUE FALSE
A mirror that is curved outwards is known as „Concave‟ TRUE FALSE
When atoms get excited this is known as „ground state‟ TRUE FALSE

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 Word Search
s s f e c h u j s u n h y b n k
l u e s d r t c x d e f h u j k
Light
p o m n b h f d o p a q u e d e mirror
c n t e g u j h t f c d g o e c reflection
f i e i t u y h j I u o l s p y shadow
t m l y g r e f l e c t i o n n beam
n u m s j h a t f r d e I u n k source
e l j h b h g n r d c x z r g t refraction
r b e a m g r d s w s r f c g p sun
a o k d u h m t f l e w a e g e candle
p c a o h n j i t f u u h y b g transparent
s m n w a v e s r w a c f r u y translucent
n p l k m n b a g r c t e e s d opaque
a w q a t r c h u j o M k n l m waves
r r g v h t k l f r w R e a t e luminous
t t h b i u k l p o n H y j k l
h e d o s g t f r d h J b v r e
d I n p l j u b h e l D n a c s

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 GLOSSARY
Absorb
Suck up/ Take in

Amplitude
How much energy the wave has

Atom
Basic unit of matter, nucleus is central, surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons

Concave
curving inwards

Converge
Come together

Convex
Curving or bulging outwards

Detector
Our eye, detects the light, organises, imports information that we are seeing to our brain

Diffuse reflection
When the surface is rough and reflected rays go in many directions

Diverge
Move/draw apart, extend in different directions

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Shows us different wavelengths from Radio → Gamma Rays

Frequency
Number of wavelengths that pass through in one second

Incident Ray
Incoming ray

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Lens
A transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images

Light
The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible- electromagnetic radiation is
from about 390 to 740nm in wavelength

Luminous
Objects that emit their own light e.g. the Sun

Non-luminous
Objects that do not emit their own light e.g. the Moon

Normal
A line perpendicular to a surface

Object
Something that the light reflects off e.g. tree, person etc

Opaque
Light cannot pass through it (a brick wall)

Reflection
Light of image you see when light bounces off a surface, bounding a wave or ray off a surface

Reflected Ray
Outgoing ray

Refraction
When light bends due to a change in speed from one medium to another

ROY-G-BIV
Acronym to remember colours of the spectrum= Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and
Violet

Source
Where the light originates from
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Specular
Reflection from a smooth mirror

Speed
frequency x wavelength

Translucent
Light can slightly pass through it (jelly fish, cloudy window)

Transmit
Transfer to another

Transparent
Light can pass through it (a window)

Wavelength
Distance between two troughs/crests

Wave-Particle Duality
The fact that Light travels in both Waves and Particles

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Extra Resources for Teachers

Use the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website and
various journals on science topics
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
Use the „Free Games for you‟ website regarding the science online educational
games. These can be the base for any in class games
http://sciencegames.4you4free.com/index.html

Struggling for experiments? This website will help in all aspects around science
http://www.kids-science-experiments.com/

Fancy some Light reading?

“Light Years and Time Travel: An exploration of mankind‟s enduring fascination
with Light” By Brian Clegg may shed some light on some shady areas.

Microscopy Resource Center shows the physics and concepts to do with this topic
http://www.olympusmicro.com/index.html

REFERENCES
http://sciencegames.4you4free.com/light_optics.html
http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/light/cd_spectroscope/spectroscope.html
My Science- Light and Optics
C. Roychoudhuri, 2008 „The Nature of Light: What is a Photon?‟ CRC Publisher

K. Spring, M. Davidson, „Microscopy Resource Centre‟ 2010

NASA Optics: Light, colour and their uses, Educational Product, Spacelink.

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