Light lesson

What is light?

People and other animals can see because there is light. Light is a form of energy. The Sun is a very important source of light energy. Without the energy from the Sun, there would be no plants or animals on Earth’s surface.

Sources of Light Besides the Sun, other sources provide light. Burning objects give off light. So do some animals, such as fireflies and certain fish. Lightning and electric lightbulbs also produce light.

Properties of Light Light exists in two very different forms at the same time. One form is tiny particles called photons. The other form is waves. The easiest way to think about light is as waves. Light waves travel through space at a speed of about 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometres per second).

Scientists use an idea called wavelength to describe light waves. Like waves moving across a pool of water, light waves have peaks and valleys. The distance between two of these peaks is called a wavelength. Sunlight contains light waves with long, medium, and short wavelengths.

The colour of light depends on its wavelength. Red light has the longest wavelength. Violet light has the shortest wavelength. Orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo have wavelengths in between those of red and violet. When light waves of all the colours travel together, the light looks white.

Certain objects, such as triangular pieces of glass called prisms, can separate white light into the individual colours. When light travels through a prism, waves of different wavelengths bend by different amounts. The colour of each wavelength, then appears separately. This effect is called a spectrum. A rainbow is a type of spectrum. When raindrops make a rainbow, they are acting like prisms.

Light and shadow Light painting screw.jpg Light and Sight People see an object either because it gives off light or because the object reflects, or bounces back, light. For example, people see the Sun because it gives off its own light. But people see the Moon only because it reflects light from the Sun.

Infrared light When only the surface of an object (such as the Moon) can be seen, the object is said to be opaque. Opaque objects do not let light pass through them. Instead, they reflect and absorb light. As a result, they are not see-through. For example, a mirror is an opaque object that reflects almost all of the light that hits it. Most other opaque objects reflect and absorb some light. Objects made of wood or steel are opaque.

A coloured object reflects only certain wavelengths of light. The reflected light is the colour the object appears to be. For example, a red apple absorbs all the colours of light that hit it except for red light, which the apple reflects. The red apple is opaque because it does not let light pass through it.

If an object does not reflect or absorb much light, the light passes through it. This type of object is called transparent, or see-through. Clear glass and clean water are transparent. Objects that allow some light to pass through them, but that are not completely see-through are called translucent. Frosted light bulbs and stained-glass windows are translucent.

Light and Shadow When an opaque or translucent object comes between a source of light and a surface, that object casts a shadow, or dark area, on the surface. A shadow can be created by any source of light, including the Sun, a lightbulb, a candle flame, or a flashlight. The shadow falls on the side of the object furthest from the light source. The size of a shadow depends on how close the object is to the light source. If an object is close to a light source, it casts a big shadow. If the object is moved further from the light source, its shadow gets smaller. The light source also makes shadows appear darker or lighter. If the light source is very bright, the shadow is dark. If the light source is dimmer, the shadow is lighter.

Shadows cast by the Sun change during the course of a day. The Sun appears to move across the sky as the day moves from morning to night. The longest shadows are made when the Sun is the lowest in the sky (at the beginning and end of the day). The shortest shadows are cast at midday, when the Sun is highest in the sky. People have used shadows cast by the Sun to tell time for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians made the earliest known sundial in about 3500 bce.

Light and Life Light is very important to life on Earth. Using the energy of light, plants combine a gas in the air called carbon dioxide with water in the soil. Through this process, called photosynthesis, plants make their own food. People and other animals then use plants for food. As plants make food, they also give off a gas called oxygen. People and other animals need oxygen to stay alive.

Did You Know? Infrared light waves are too long for the eye to see, while ultraviolet light waves are too short.

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