LIGHT

Georgia Performance Standards S4P1 Students will investigate the nature of light using tools such as mirrors, kenses, and prisms. Identify materials that are transparent, opaque, and translucent. Investigate the reflection of light using a mirror and a light source. Identify the physical attributes of a convex lens, a concave lens, and a prism and where each is used.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are the characteristics of light and how does it normally behave? How can we describe the movement of light as it passes through different substances? How do lenses bend light in specific ways in order to accomplish useful jobs?

LIGHT You are able to see objects when the light traveling from them enters the eye. Shadows form when light is blocked.

LIGHT Energy is the ability to cause change. Light is a form of energy that you can see. Light and sound are forms of energy that travel in waves. Light waves travel in straight lines in every direction away from their source.

LIGHT WAVES Light waves can travel through certain kinds of matter, such as air or clear glass. Light can also travel empty space. This is how light from the Sun reaches the Earth and other planets.

LIGHT A few things, such as a lamp or fireflies, can give off their own light. MOST things do not do this. You can see objects because the light from other sources bounces off of them.

Light reacts in different ways when it meets different kinds of matter. We can see through water and glass, but we cannot see through things like walls, metal, or rock.

OPAQUE Materials such as wood, metal, and rock all block light waves. They are OPAQUE. An opaque material blocks light from passing through it.

TRANSPARENT Some kinds of matter, such as air and glass, are TRANSPARENT. A transparent material allows light to pass through it. Think about a picture in a picture frame. You can still see the picture even though it has a piece of glass in front of it.

TRANSLUCENT Certain materials are TRANSLUCENT. A translucent material allows some light to pass though it, but scatters the light in many directions. Frosted glass is translucent. Objects seen through translucent objects appear blurry.

SHADOWS Light waves travel in straight lines from their source. If you stand in front of the sunlight, some of the light waves will strike your body. Your body will block some of the waves. The other light waves will go around your body until it reaches an opaque object such as the ground.

SHADOWS The part of your body that is blocking the light waves will create a shadow.