Optics/Light

Warm up -

• Think about the following question and write it down in your notes:– How do we see?

Announcement: this unit will have an open-notes test (no test-corrections, re-takes will not be open notes).

Only handwritten notes – if you print out slides from online, they must be annotated and fully filled in – but most of the notes will be the packets we hand out each day.

TURN YOUR TAKE-HOME TEST IN TO THE BIN

What is light?

• What are some properties/characteristics of light?

• What path does light take?

• Does light move?

Light paths

There is a light bulb inside of a box with a small hole in it.

Which of the eyes can see the dot?

Light beams

• Do we ever see light beams?

• How can we see light beams?

Light - Reading

• There is a class set of the short reading – it will be available on my website for download if you want to keep a copy.

Important Vocabulary

• Reflection• Refraction• Dispersion

Demos

• Spoons

• Mirascope

• Ray diagrams - mirrors

Important Vocabulary

• Reflection – when light bounces off a surface– Diffuse reflection vs specular reflection– Example: mirrors

• Refraction – when light is ‘bent’ as it travels through materials with different indexes of refraction– Example: popsicle stick in the beaker

• Dispersion – the separation of white light into its respective colors, as in the formation of a spectrum by a prism–Example: prisms/rainbows