Nature of Light PPT Final

Light as a Wave and a
Particle
Mrs. Evangeline D. Tala

Subject Teacher
Four Major Theories about the
Nature of Light
1. Wave Theory- proposed by

Christian Huygens in 1690.
- He compared light with sound waves.
- According to him, light is a longitudinal
wave propagating in all directions at a
constant velocity.
Longitudinal Waves
In this type of wave,

particles vibrate back and
forwards along the direction
the wave is travelling.
Longitudinal Waves
A sound wave is a longitudinal

wave.
http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/schools/index1.htm
Nature of Light
2. Corpuscular Theory- proposed by
Isaac Newton in 1704.
- According to this theory, light consists of

tiny particles or corpuscles coming from a
luminous object
Nature of Light
3. Electromagnetic Theory- proposed by

James Clerk Maxwell.
- According to this theory, light is a
transverse wave can propagate in a
vacuum.
Transverse Waves
In this type of wave,

particles vibrate at right
angles to the direction of
motion of the wave.
Transverse Waves
Light, and all forms of

electromagnetic radiation, are
transverse waves.
http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/schools/index1.htm
Nature of Light
4. Quantum Theory- proposed by

Max Planck in 1900.
- According to this theory, light is emitted
in discrete packets of energy called
quanta (quantum)
- Albert Einstein referred to each quantum
of energy as a photon.
• Most of the
information around
us gets to us in
waves.
• Sound energy that

travels to our ears
is in one form of
wave.
• Light is energy that
comes to our eyes if
the form of another
type of wave.
• Energy (information)
that is transferred
from place to place
in the form of a wave
is called RADIATION.
So, what is light?
• Geometric Optics uses Is it a particle?
particle or ray model of
light is illustrated by the
properties of reflection and
refraction.
• Physical optics uses the wave Is it a wave?
model of light is illustrated by
the properties of reflection,
refraction, diffraction,
interference, and scattering.
So, what is light?
• Geometric Optics uses particle or ray
Is it a particle?
model of light is illustrated by the
properties of reflection and refraction.
• Physical optics uses the wave model of light is
illustrated by the properties of reflection, refraction, Is it a wave?
diffraction, interference, and scattering.
• But there are problems: if light is

a wave, and waves need a “medium” such
as air or water to carry them, then how can
light travel through empty space?
It is neither,
but it’s
• The solution was to decide that light was like both
neither a wave nor a particle, but something
else which sometimes behaved like them.
Part 1 – Properties of Light
• Light travels in straight lines:
Laser
• Light travels VERY FAST – around
300,000 kilometres per second.
At this speed
it can go
around the
world 8 times
in one second.
– Light travels much faster than sound.
For example:
1) Thunder and lightning
start at the same
time, but we will see
the lightning first.
2) When a starting
pistol is fired we see
the smoke first and
then hear the bang.
• We see things because they
reflect light into our eyes:
Homework
Shadows
Shadows are places where light is “blocked”:
Rays of light
Luminous and non-luminous
objects
A luminous object is one that
produces light.
Ex. sun or a light bulb.
A non-luminous (illuminated) object is
one that reflects light, just like the
moon, people, and buildings.
• White light is not a
single color; it is
made up of a mixture
of the seven colors of
the rainbow.
We can demonstrate
this by splitting white
light with a prism:
This is how rainbows

are formed: sunlight is
“split up” by raindrops.
Where does light come from?
•All lenses refract light.
Lenses are used in
cameras, telescopes
and binoculars.
Properties of Waves
• What is meant by the axis of a wave?
The axis is the line running
through the middle of the
wave pattern.
What is meant by the crest of the
wave?
The crest is the top part
of the wave
…and the trough?
The trough is the bottom

part of the wave.
What is the amplitude of the wave?
The amplitude is the
distance from the axis to
the crest
or from axis to trough.
Definition of Wavelength?
The wavelength is the
distance after which the
wave pattern repeats itself
– the distance between two
identical points on the wave
Wavelength is given the
symbol λ pronounced
lambda.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/lsps07/
sci/phys/energy/wavelength/assets/lsps07_int_wa
velength/lsps07_int_wavelength_swf.html
Frequency
• The frequency of the wave is the
number of waves each second.
• It is measured in hertz (Hz) which

just means “per second”.
Period
• The period of a wave is the time

taken for one complete wave to pass
a point.
• It is measured in seconds (s).

For example, if a wave has a period of 10
seconds, the frequency of the wave would be
1/10 Hz, or 0.1 Hz
Remember: velocity = wavelength x frequency
• If frequency increases, wavelength

decreases
• If frequency decreases, wavelength
increases
Calculating the wavelength
Consider sound waves with the

speed of 344m/s and frequency
of 20 Hz. Find the wavelength of
the sound wave.
Myth or Reality?
• Visible light is the only
type of light
What is radiation?
Myth or Reality?
All radiation is harmful.

Myth!
• Not all radiation is harmful. It
• depends on the dose.
• Light is a form of radiation. All

• parts of the electromagnetic
• spectrum are considered radiation,
• but only X-rays and gamma rays
• are ionising radiation.
Myth!
• Ionising radiation is dangerous because it can

• penetrate body tissues and cause cell damage.
• Ultraviolet light from the Sun causes sunburn,

• which is a common form of “harmful” radiation.
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
The electromagnetic spectrum
consists of all the different
wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation, including light, radio
waves, and X-rays.
red
violet Wavelength (m) 
 Frequency (Hz / s1) Visible light

red
 Frequency (Hz / s1) Ultraviolet light
 Increasing energy
red
 Frequency (Hz / s1) X-rays
red
 Frequency (Hz / s1) Gamma rays
red
 Frequency (Hz / s1) Infra-red light
Decreasing energy 
red
 Frequency (Hz / s1) Microwave & radio waves
Decreasing energy 
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Human eyes are only able to process
information from the visible part of the
spectrum
• Toward longer wavelengths, the
spectrum includes infrared light,
microwaves, and radio
• Toward shorter wavelengths, the
spectrum includes ultraviolet light, X-rays,
and gamma rays
Radio Waves
• The longest wavelength and lowest
frequency.
• Radio waves are longer than 1 mm.
• Radio wavelengths are found

everywhere:
• in the background radiation of the universe,
in interstellar clouds, and
• in the cool remnants of supernova
explosions.
Radio Communication
What are radio (and TV) waves?
They are a type of electromagnetic radiation

that travel through air at 3 x 108 m/s.
Gamma rays
• Gamma rays have the
shortest wavelengths,
of less than 0.01 nm
(about the size of an
atomic nucleus).
• This is the highest
frequency and most
energetic region of the
EM spectrum.
• Gamma rays can result from nuclear
reactions taking place in objects such
as pulsars, quasars, and black holes.
The Sun at Different Wavelengths
Visible Ultraviolet
X-ray X-ray
Interference of Waves
Interference: ability of two or more waves
to reinforce or cancel each other.
Constructive
interference occurs
when two wave motions
reinforce each other,
resulting in a wave of
greater amplitude.
Destructive
interference occurs
when two waves
exactly cancel, so that
no net motion remains.
The Doppler effect
Lower Higher
pitch pitch
heard heard
The frequency of sound waves from a moving

object
(a) increases when the object moves towards
the observer.
(b) decreases when the object moves away
from the observer.
Doppler Effect
Doppler Shift
• In astronomy, the same
effect happens to light
waves
• A source that is moving
away will appear redder
(redshift)
• A source that is moving
toward us will appear
bluer (blueshift)
Doppler effect
•The same effect works for light waves

as well as sound waves
• For light waves, blue means shorter
wavelengths and red means longer
wavelengths

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Light as a Wave and a

Mrs. Evangeline D. Tala

1. Wave Theory- proposed by

In this type of wave,

A sound wave is a longitudinal

- According to this theory, light consists of

3. Electromagnetic Theory- proposed by

In this type of wave,

Light, and all forms of

4. Quantum Theory- proposed by

• Sound energy that

• But there are problems: if light is

This is how rainbows

The trough is the bottom

• It is measured in hertz (Hz) which

• The period of a wave is the time

• It is measured in seconds (s).

Remember: velocity = wavelength x frequency

• If frequency increases, wavelength

Consider sound waves with the

All radiation is harmful.

• Light is a form of radiation. All

• Ionising radiation is dangerous because it can

• Ultraviolet light from the Sun causes sunburn,

 Frequency (Hz / s1) Visible light

 Frequency (Hz / s1) Ultraviolet light

 Frequency (Hz / s1) X-rays

 Frequency (Hz / s1) Gamma rays

 Frequency (Hz / s1) Infra-red light

 Frequency (Hz / s1) Microwave & radio waves

• Radio waves are longer than 1 mm.

• Radio wavelengths are found

What are radio (and TV) waves?

They are a type of electromagnetic radiation

The frequency of sound waves from a moving

•The same effect works for light waves

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