light - physics web quest

Light waves are but one of the many types of waves that make up the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light (electromagnetic waves that we can see) ranges in frequency from 4.3 x 1014 to 7.5 x 1014 Hz. Thus, light makes up a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.


Light, unlike sound, can travel through a vacuum. In a vacuum, such as interstellar space, the speed of light is 3.0 x 108 m/s. When light travels through other materials, such as air or water, it slows down. This effect helps explain one of the phenomena that you will be exploring in this Inquiry: refraction.

What happens when light waves strike an object?
The answer to that question depends on the nature of the object. Sometimes, light waves bounce off an object. Other times, they are absorbed by the object. It is also possible for light waves to travel through the object. In this Inquiry, you are going to explore what happens when light waves bounce off or travel through objects.

part 1

1.

•  light bounces off the object (reflect)

• light is absorbed by the object

• be dispersed/scattering (rainbow)

• refract

2. Surface Area.

3. Metals reflect light because they have free electrons. 

4.

5. The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

6. Reflected light goes the opposite direction of the incident ray, scattered goes the same direction of the incident ray.
7. Diamonds are highly refractive with a refractive index of 2.417. That number tells us that light travels approximately 2.5 times faster in air than it does in diamond.

8.   

9. The index basically tells us (the index being x) that light would travel x many times faster through air than it would through that object.



Part 2

10.

11.  

12. the incident Ray travels faster than the Reflected Ray.
13. index of refraction = velocity of light in vacuum / velocity of light in medium
14. slower; faster
15.  speed up; toward
16. slow down, away




Part 3


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Part 4.

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People in this group: Lisa Sawyer, Racheal Sawyer, Nick Wilkinson, Kayla Smith