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In this chapter, we study the basic properties of light. In the next few chapters, we investigate the behavior of light when it interacts with optical devices such as mirrors, lenses, and apertures.
- 1.1: Prelude to The Nature of Light - Physics LibreTexts
In this chapter, we study the basic properties of light. In...
- 1.1: Prelude to The Nature of Light - Physics LibreTexts
- Waves of Light
- Colours of Light
- To Summarise
These different colours of light have different wavelengths and frequencies. Red light has the longest wavelength, and the lowest frequency of the visible spectrum. Violet has the shortest wavelength, and the highest frequency of the visible spectrum.
Mixing coloured materials, such as paint, is an example of subtractive colour mixing. Red paint appears red to us because when white light strikes it, the red pigments reflect the red wavelengths of light and absorball of the wavelengths. This reflected light is what is seen by our eyes. The same is true for all of the other colours. So what about ...
Light travels very fast - at the speed of light in fact!Light travels as waves.Light travels in straight lines.Nov 14, 2024 · The physicist is interested in the physical properties of light, the artist in an aesthetic appreciation of the visual world. Through the sense of sight, light is a primary tool for perceiving the world and communicating within it.
Shortest x-rays and cosmic rays destroy molecules. Energy in visible light is absorbed without damage to cells. Special molecules (visual pigments) make use of changes in electron orbital states. Absorption by water depends on wavelength.
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In this chapter, we study the basic properties of light. In the next few chapters, we investigate the behavior of light when it interacts with optical devices such as mirrors, lenses, and apertures.
Light travels in a straight-line path in a homogeneous medium, until it encounters a boundary between two different materials. When the light hits the boundary, it either is reflected from the boundary, passes into the medium on other side of boundary, or partially does both.
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Radiometric units measure the properties of light in terms of physical units of energy and power, without reference to wavelength, and are therefore the most fundamental of the parameters used to describe light [1.19,20].