Colors of Light Light Unit

Visible Light The color of light depends on the wavelengh. Visible light is in the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum because it moves at just the right wavelength for our eyes to see it.

Color Red light has the longest wavelength, followed by orange, yellow, green, and blue light. Violet light has the shortest wavelength.

White Light Sunlight consists of light of all colors. Light that is made up of all colors is called white light.

How We See Color The color of an object depends on the color of light that it reflects. A red object reflects red light. It absorbs most other colors of light. The red hat is absorbing all of the colors of the white light except the red. The red color reflects off of the hat and travels to our eyes. We see red.

The Green Leaf The green leaf absorbs all colors except green which reflects off and we see a green leaf. Every object that we give a color name to is really absorbing all of the other colors and reflecting the color we see back to our eyes. If an object looks white, all of the colors are reflecting off it. If an object appears black, that means that it is absorbing all of the colors.

Absorbing & Reflecting Every object that we give a color name to is really absorbing all of the other colors and reflecting the color we see back to our eyes. If an object looks white, all of the colors are reflecting off it. If an object appears black, that means that it is absorbing all of the colors.

Prisms When light passes through a prism, light waves with shorter wavelengths bend more than light waves with longer wavelengths. A prism separates white light into all the different colors of the rainbow.

Colors of the Rainbow The colors in a rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Raindrops act like prisms when sunlight passes through them. This is how rainbows form.

Creating a Rainbow Video Clip from Discovery Education

Vocabulary Review Lesson 2 – How Light Behaves Light – A form of energy that can be seen and travels in waves Prism – A substance that separates white light into colors Reflection – Occurs when light waves bounce off a surface Refraction – Occurs when light waves bend as they pass from one material to another.