Science - Light

• Light


  • Electromagnetic wave
  • Does not need a medium
  • Form of energy made out of photons
• Luminous Body


  Capable of producing its own light
• Isaac Newton: 'Light behaves like a particle'
• Christian Huygens: 'Light behaves like a wave'
• Louis de Broglie


  Light has both particle and wave properties
• James Clerk Maxwell


  Electromagnetic theory of light
• Light has a dual nature
• Light


  Made by electric and magnetic fields
• Light Intensity


  Quantity that measures the amount of light illuminating a surface
• Luminous Intensity


  Amount of light that an object produces, measured in candela
• The color of light depends on the frequency or wavelength
• Types of electromagnetic radiation


  • Gamma rays
  • X-rays
  • Ultraviolet
  • Visible
  • Infrared
  • Microwaves
  • Radio waves
• Radio waves have the lowest frequency, gamma rays have the highest frequency
• Dispersion


  A prism separates white light into its component colors
• Luminous Flux


  Rate at which light is emitted from a source
• Dispersion happens when a prism separates white light into component colors
• Characteristics of light

  1. Color
  2. Intensity
• Photometry is the science of measuring the intensity of light
• Brightness is the visual perception in which a light source appears to be emitting light
• Opaque does not allow light to pass through
• Transparent allows light to enter completely
• Translucent allows light to travel partly