Light and Color Chapter 27 and 28

Light – Wave or particle? For many years scientists argued over the nature of light, "Is light a wave or a stream of particles?" In some experiments light exhibits wave like properties, the Doppler effect, interference, refraction, diffraction and in other experiments, like the photo electric effect, it exhibits particle like properties The fact is that light exhibits behaviors which are characteristic of both waves and particles.

Models of Light - Waves Electromagnetic waves (light) originate from vibrating or accelerating electric charges Electromagnetic waves are made up of an electric field and a magnetic field oscillating at right angles relative to one another An electromagnetic wave (light) is a transverse wave Unlike other waves, light waves can travel through a vacuum

Models of Light - Particles Particle of light are called photons Photons have zero rest mass and travel at the speed of light through a vacuum.

Light and Energy For waves, the amplitude or intensity is usually related to the energy of the wave For light, this is not true. The energy of light waves was found to be directly related it is frequency. An experiment demonstrating the photoelectric effect demonstrated the particle nature of light and that E = hf, where E is energy, h is Planks constant, and f is frequency. http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Photoelectric_Effect

The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of electromagnetic waves extending from radio waves to gamma rays Increasing frequency R O Y G B I V

The Visible Spectrum We can only see a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum The visible spectrum is a range of light waves extending in wavelength from about 400 to 700 nanometers. Increasing wavelength Increasing frequency Increasing energy

Speed of Light - c In the early 17th century, many scientists believed that there was no such thing as the "speed of light"; they thought light could travel any distance in no time at all. In the 1670's Roemer was able to calculate a value for the speed of light by carefully studying the orbit of one of Jupiter’s moons, Io. He noticed that the time between the eclipses of the moons of Jupiter was less as the distance away from Earth is decreasing than when it is increasing. In 1926 scientist Albert Michelson used the reflection from a rotating mirror on a distant mountain and measured the speed of light at 299,796 km/second The current accepted value is 300,000,000 meters per second (3 x 108 m/s) or 186,000 miles per second. Light waves obey the wave equation, c = lf

Transparent vs. Opaque Transparent - the term applied to materials through which light can pass in straight lines. If the object is transparent, then the vibrations of the electrons are passed on to neighboring atoms through the bulk of the material and reemitted on the opposite side of the object. Opaque - the term applied to materials that absorb light. If the object is opaque, then the vibrations of the electrons are not passed from atom to atom through the bulk of the material; rather the electrons vibrate for short periods of time and then reemit the energy as a reflected light wave.

Light Questions Rank the following in terms of energy, frequency and wavelength: microwaves, visible light, IR, UV, x-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves. Rank the following in terms of energy, frequency and wavelength: Red, orange, yellow, blue, and green. Why is it possible to get a sunburn with the window down in the car, but not when the window is up? Find the frequency of 80 m radio waves. What did the photoelectric effect show about light? Is light a wave or a particle? What is the name of a particle of light? What is the origin of light? Why is light also called electromagnetic radiation? Why is it possible to see a cell phone ringing in a bell jar (vacuum jar) but not possible to hear it ringing? Do radio waves travel at the speed of light or the speed of sound?

Color The color of an opaque object is the result of the color of the light which strikes the object and the color of the light that it reflects. The color of a transparent object is the result of the color of the light which strikes the object and the color of the light that it transmits. Red filters transmit red light and absorb the other colors, etc. Red objects reflect red light and absorb the rest, etc. green red white ( ) green red

Visible Colors Different wavelengths of light are perceived as different colors. Pure Colors: ROYGBIV White light contains equal amounts of these colors. (ROYGBIV) At an interface, light can be... absorbed reflected transmitted

Primary Colors of Light White Red Primary Colors Green Blue Yellow Cyan Magenta

Combining Colors of Light When two of primary colors of light are combined they form the primary colors of pigment; yellow, magenta and cyan Combining colors of light is an additive process, when all three primary colors are combined, you get white light Color Addition Example: Tiny dots called pixels on Color TV's and Computer Monitors are colored only red, green, or blue. Red + Green = Yellow Green + Blue = Cyan Red + Blue = Magenta

Complementary Colors Complementary Colors - any two colors that add together to produce white Complementary Colors of Light Red and Cyan Green and Magenta Blue and Yellow

Primary Colors of Pigment (Subtractive Colors) Subtractive Primary Colors: Yellow Magenta Cyan One can produce any color by varying the amount of yellow, magenta and cyan pigments Combining pigments is a subtractive process because each color absorbs a color or colors of light. Combining all three primary colors produces black (all colors are absorbed) Color Subtraction Example: Newspapers and zip-lock sandwich bags (yellow and cyan makes green) use color subtraction.

Color Blindness Colorblindness - about 10% of population Red-green is predominant Yellow-blue - a few Total - some

Optical Illusions

Color Questions List the primary colors of light. What happens when combine the three primary colors of light? List the primary colors of pigment. What happens when combine the three primary colors of pigment? _______ + green = yellow Blue + _______ = cyan Yellow + _______ = white Cyan + _______ = white You have a blue opaque object (an object that appears blue under white light). What color will it look under the following colors of light? Blue Red Green Cyan Yellow What color does a red shirt appear when the room lights are turned off and the room is entirely dark? ____________ What about a blue shirt? ____________ ... a green shirt? ____________ White blue

More Color Questions 6) Fill in the blanks: 7) True or False/Explain: White and black are colors of light. 8) You have a cyan opaque object (an object that appears cyan under white light). What color will it look under the following colors of light? Blue Red Green Cyan Yellow White cyan

Things that can separate white light Prism Raindrops CD’s Diffraction Grating

Things the produce electromagnetic waves Radio waves electrons moving up and down an antenna Visible Light electrons changing energy states in an atom

The Structure of the Atom and Emission An atom is composed of electrons, protons and neutrons. When an electron is raised to a higher energy level, the atom is said to be excited. When the electron returns to a lower energy level, energy is released in the form of light. Different transitions from high levels to low levels result in different colors of light.

The Kirchhoff-Bunsen Experiment These two scientists found that burning chemicals over an open flame resulted in a spectrum with bright lines. They found that each chemical element produced its own characteristic pattern of bright spectral lines.

Emission Spectra of Hydrogen Hot gas produces a bright line emission spectrum. Discrete Emission Spectrum Slit Film Low Density Glowing Hydrogen Gas Prism Photographic Film

Every element can be “fingerprinted” by it spectra. Hydrogen Helium Oxygen Carbon

Incandescence Hot, dense solids produce a continuous spectrum. The brightness and color of light emitted by a hot object changes with its temperature. Glowing object colors: Reddish  coolest glowing object Orange-ish Yellowish White Bluish  hottest glowing object Continuous Spectrum

Absorption Spectra Cool gas in front of a continuous source of light produces an absorption line spectrum. Fraunhofer lines in our Sun's spectrum showed that cool helium gas surrounds the Sun Absorption Spectrum

Absorption Spectra of Hydrogen Discrete Emission Spectrum Discrete Absorption Spectrum Slit Hydrogen Gas Film White Light Source Prism Photographic Film

Sources Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt www.physicsclassroom.com http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/courses/phy101/lectures101/