2. Light
• Light is a form of energy known as
electromagnetic radiation.
• Light travels as an electromagnetic wave.
• Light travels through the vacuum of space –
unlike sound.
• It travels at
300 000 km/s
thejetlife.com
3. Wave Motion
• Wave motion is the transfer of energy without
matter.
• Transverse wave e.g. how an ocean wave
travels to the shore while a boat just moves up
and down.
• Longitudinal wave – Sound wave i.e. the
particles that make up the wave move in the
same direction the wave is travelling.
8. • Frequency – number of waves produced each
second (measured in Hz).
• Wavelength (λ) – the distance between two
successive waves (measured in m).
• Amplitude – is the maximum distance a wave
extends beyond its middle position.
www.schoolphysics.co.uk
9. Electromagnetic Radiation
James Maxwell (1831-1879) proposed that a
changing electric field could create a changing
magnetic field – and this would create a
changing electric field – these fields would
continue to generate each other.
10. The changing magnetic field and electric fields
travel through space as transverse waves at right
angles – this is known as an electromagnetic
wave.
mysite.du.edu
12. • Electromagnetic radiation includes visible
light, microwaves and x-rays.
• Solar flares on the Sun release large amounts
of energy across the electromagnetic
spectrum.
www.globalspec.com
17. Radio Waves
• Produced by vibrating or oscillating electrons
in a transmitting aerial.
• They can travel large distances.
• Long and short-wave radio signals are used in
communication. www.arairwaves.com
18. FM signal is about 3m wavelengths.
AM signal is about 100m wavelengths.
www.pfnicholls.com
19. • Short-wave radio signals can be transmitted
long distances. The waves are beamed
upwards and are reflected back to earth by
the ionosphere.
• AM radio waves can travel around large
obstacles and travel further than FM,
however, they are lower quality and often
suffer from interference.
20. Microwaves
• Microwaves are absorbed by water, fats and
sugars in foods.
• Microwaves make food molecules vibrate and
heat the food up.
• Glass, paper and plastics don’t absorb
microwaves and metal reflects microwaves.
www.harveynorman.com.au
21. Infrared Radiation
• Heat from the sun is IR.
• IR is close to red light in the visible spectrum
(infra – below, therefore frequency below red
light).
• Objects with a temperature above 0 Kelvin (-
273.15°C) emit IR.
en.wikipedia.org
22. Visible Light
• Light from the Sun is essential for life on Earth.
• Visible light (white light) consists of different
colours – each has a different wavelength and
frequency.
ROY – G – BIV
• Most humans can see all of these wavelengths
(colours) but have the greatest sensitivity to the
green range of the spectrum
23.
24. The Visible Spectrum
• Visible light is a small part of the spectrum
that can be seen by the human eye.
• The wavelengths can be detected by the light-sensitive
cells called rods and cones present in
the eye.
25. Ultraviolet Light
• UV light is radiation with a higher frequency than
violet light (ultra – beyond).
• Sunlight contains UV light.
• You cannot see UV light – it does cause sun burn.
• Many object fluoresce under UV light.
Therefore, they absorb UV light and
emit visible light.
• UV light is used to sterilise objects.
27. X-Rays
• Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895.
• X-rays can penetrate objects, therefore, they
are useful in finding flaws and checking
structure.
• The high energy of the radiation can damage
cells and tissues
(wear lead shileds).
www.sentara.com
28. Gamma Rays
• Wavelength of about one hundred billionth of
a metre.
• They can only be stopped by thick sheets of
lead or concrete.
• They are produced in the making of nuclear
power.
apod.nasa.gov
29. Medically a patient can be injected with a small
amount of radioactive material that emits
gamma rays – this can then be detected by a
positron emission tomography (PET) scanner.
www.geripal.org
31. Colour
Visible light (white light) consists of different
colours – each has a different wavelength and
frequency.
ROY – G – BIV
The splitting of white light is called dispersion.
cnx.org