Light and Its Properties

Introduction

Light is all around us - even when it seems dark! Reflections in rear-view mirrors of cars help to keep us safe. Refraction through lenses of
eyeglasses or contact lens’ helps some people see better.

Light part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The radio waves that let us listen to music are on this spectrum as are the infrared waves that let us
communicate with our TVs.

Speed of Light
In a vacuum, visible light travels at the speed of approximately 299 792 458 meters per second (m/s). This is known as the speed of light. It is the
fastest that anything in the universe is able to move! For comparison, the speed of sound is only approximately 300 m/s. This is why during a storm
you always see lightning before hearing thunder.

Waves of Light
Light has the properties of waves. Like ocean waves, light
waves have crests and troughs.

The distance between one crest and the next, which is the
same as the distance between one trough and the next, is
called the wavelength. The frequency of a wave is the
number of crests (or troughs) that pass a point in one
second. The wavelength multiplied by the frequency
equals the speed at which the wave travels.

These different colors 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.

Colors of Light
You will remember from art class that the primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
You can mix these to form the secondary colors orange, green and purple.
Red, yellow and blue are called “primary” because they are said to be colors that cannot be made
by mixing other colors. This is technically not true.

The color “red” can be made by mixing the colors magenta and yellow. The color “blue” can be
made by mixing cyan and magenta. When these three primary colors are mixed together, they
form black. While scientifically true, in reality black is nearly impossible to mix using other colors.
This is because the pigments of paints, markers, etc. are not perfectly cyan, magenta or yellow.

Mixing colored materials, such as paint, is an example of subtractive color mixing. Red paint appears red to us because when white light strikes it,
the red pigments reflect the red wavelengths of light and absorb all of the wavelengths. This reflected light is what is seen by our eyes. The same is
true for all of the other colors. So what about black? Black absorbs all of the colors of light and does not reflect any colors. We perceive this lack of
light as black!

Light has primary colors as well. But these are different colors than the colors we use in paint and
markers. The primary colors of light are red, green and blue.

The secondary colors of light are cyan, magenta and yellow. Cyan is made by combining blue and
green. Magenta is made by combining blue and red. Yellow is made by combining green and red.

Computer screens and TV screens use these colors of light to make all of the colours that you see.

Mixing colors of light is an example of additive color mixing. Red appears red to us because right wavelengths of light are sent towards our eyes.
The same is true for all of the other colors. White is created by sending out all of the wavelength of light. So what about black? In additive color
mixing, black is the absence of light. In other words, no wavelength of light is sent out. We perceive this lack of light as black!
Light from the Sun is a natural example of white light. Sometimes white
light from the Sun is split apart so that we can see the colors that make
it up. A good example of this are rainbows. Small water droplets split
the waves of light so that we can see each.
Can you remember the order of the colors of a rainbow? Some people use the
phrase ROY G BIV to remember it. These are the first letters of the colors red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

We can also split light using a prism.

How Light Travels
The final important property of light to remember is that light always travels in a straight
line. We get shadows when light is blocked by an object. Light can pass through some but
not all objects. We call objects and materials that light can pass through transparent. We
can have object and materials that light cannot pass through opaque. We call objects that
let some, but not all light pass through translucent.

Summary of the important properties of light –

 Light travels in a straight line.
 The speed of light is faster than sound.
Light travels at a speed of 3 x 108 m/s.

Reflection of light
Reflection is the phenomenon in which light travelling in one medium, incident on the surface of another returns to the first medium, obeying the
laws of reflection. According to the laws of reflection

1. The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the surface at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.
2. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

Refraction of light
Refraction is a phenomenon in which there is a change in the speed of light as it travels from one medium to another and there is a bending of the
ray of light. The refracted ray obeys the following laws.

1. The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the surface at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.
2. For the given pair of media and for the light of the given wavelength, the ratio of the sin of the angle of incidence to the sin of the angle of
refraction is always a constant.

Dispersion of light
The splitting of a ray of white light into its constituent colors is called dispersion.

Diffraction of light
The phenomenon of bending of light around corners of small obstacles and hence it’s encroachment into the region of the geometrical shadow is
called diffraction.

Polarisation of light
Normal light vibrates in all directions perpendicular to the propagation of light. If the light is constrained to vibrate in only one particular plane, then
the light is called polarized light. The phenomenon is called polarization.

Interference of light
Interference is the phenomenon of modification in the intensity of light due to redistribution of light energy in the region of superposition of two or
more light waves.

Frequently Asked Questions on Properties of Light

1. Which is the property of light that does not change when it travels from one medium to another?
 The frequency of light does not change when light travels from one medium to another.

2. Do light waves bend?

 The property of light waves bending as it passes around the edge of the object is called diffraction.

3. Are light waves electromagnetic waves?

 Yes, light waves are electromagnetic waves.

4. Do light waves travel through the wood?

 Opaque objects like wood do not allow light to pass through them.
What is Reflection of Light?
Have you ever thought about why we can see our image in a plane mirror? It’s because of the phenomenon known as reflection. Light waves,
sound waves, and water waves can undergo reflection. Let us learn about the reflection of light and the types of reflection in detail.

When a ray of light approaches a smooth polished surface and the light ray bounces
back, it is called the reflection of light. The incident light ray that land on the surface
is reflected off the surface. The ray that bounces back is called the reflected ray. If a
perpendicular were drawn on a reflecting surface, it would be called normal. The
figure below shows the reflection of an incident beam on a plane mirror.

Here in the figure, the angle of incidence and angle of reflection are with respect to
normal and the reflective surface.

Laws of Reflection:
The laws of reflection determine the reflection of incident light rays on reflecting surfaces, like mirrors, smooth metal surfaces and clear water. Let’s
consider a plane mirror as shown in the figure above. The law of reflection states that

 The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane
 The angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

Types of Reflection of Light

Different types of reflection of light are briefly discussed below:
 Regular reflection is also known as specular reflection
 Diffused reflection
 Multiple reflection

Regular/ Specular Reflection:

Specular Reflection refers to a clear and sharp reflection; like the ones you get in
a mirror. A mirror is made of glass coated with a uniform layer of a highly reflective
material such as powder. This reflective surface reflects almost all the light incident
on it uniformly. There is not much variation in the angles of reflections between
various points. This means that the haziness and the blurring are almost entirely
eliminated.9

Diffused Reflection
Reflective surfaces other than mirrors, in general, have a very rough finish. This
may be due to wear and tear such as scratches and dents or dirt on the surface.
Sometimes even the material of which the surface is made of matters. All this leads
to a loss of both the brightness and the quality of the reflection.

In the case of such rough surfaces, the angle of reflection when compared between
points is completely haphazard. For rough surfaces, the rays incident at slightly
different points on the surface is reflected in completely different directions. This
type of reflection is called diffused reflection and is what enables us to see non-
shiny objects.

Multiple Reflection
A single image is formed when an object is placed in front of a mirror. What happens if we use two mirrors? Since reflective surfaces such as
mirrors are very good at preserving the intensity of light in a reflection, a single light source can be reflected multiple times. These multiple
reflections are possible until the intensity of light becomes low to the point that we cannot see. This means that we can have almost infinite multiple
reflections. We can also see an image in every individual reflection. This means that each image is the result of an image or an image of an image.

The number of images we see depends on the angle between the two mirrors. We see that as we go on decreasing the angle between the mirrors,
the number of images increases. And when the angle becomes zero, i.e., when the mirrors become parallel, the number of images becomes
infinite. This effect can be easily observed when your barber uses another smaller mirror to show you the back of your head. When this happens,
not only do you see the back of your head, but you also see innumerable images of yourself. The variation of the number of images of an object
placed between two mirrors with the angle between the mirrors can be described by a simple formula: 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠

Refraction of light
We know that light is a form of energy and can undergo various phenomena like diffraction, reflection, refraction, interference, and polarization.
Refraction is the phenomenon that takes place due to the bending of light when it travels from medium to another. In this article, let us briefly
understand the process of refraction.

What Is Refraction?
Refraction is the bending of a wave when it passes from one medium to another. The bending is caused due to the differences in density between
the two substances.

Defining Refraction
“Refraction is the change in the direction of a wave passing from one medium to another.”

Refraction of light is one of the most commonly observed phenomena, but other waves like sound waves and water waves also experience refraction.
Refraction makes it possible for us to have optical instruments such as magnifying glasses, lenses and prisms. It is also because of the refraction of
light that we are able to focus light on our retina.

Why do stars’ twinkle?

Did you know that the twinkling effect of stars is due to atmospheric refraction? The starlight undergoes several refractions while reaching the Earth.
This atmospheric refraction occurs in a medium of gradually changing refractive index.

Causes of Refraction
Change of Speed Results in Change in Direction
A light ray refracts whenever it travels at an angle into a medium of different refractive indices. This change in speed results in a change in direction.
As an example, consider air travelling into water. The speed of light decreases as it continues to travel at a different angle.

The refraction of light in glass is shown in the figure at the left. When light travels from air
into glass, the light slows down and changes direction slightly. When light travels from a
less dense substance to a denser substance, the refracted light bends more towards the
normal line. If the light wave approaches the boundary in a perpendicular direction, the
light ray doesn’t refract despite the change in speed.

Laws of Refraction of Light

Laws of refraction state that:
 The incident ray refracted ray, and the normal to the interface of two media at
the point of incidence all lie on the same plane.
 The angle of refraction depends on the speed of light in the two media and on
the incident angle. An analytical relation between θ and θ was arrived
experimentally about 1621 by Willebord Snell (1591 – 1626). It is known as
Snell’s Law and is written 𝒏𝟏 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝛉𝟏 𝒏𝟐 𝛉𝟐

Where: θ angle of incident

θ is the angle of refraction
𝑛 and 𝑛 the respective indices of refractio
What Is the Refractive Index?
The refractive index, also called the index of refraction, describes how fast light travels through the material.

The refractive Index is dimensionless. For a given material, the refractive index is the ratio between the speed of light in a vacuum (c) and the speed
of light in the medium (v). If the refractive index for a medium is represented by n, then it is given by the following formula; 𝑛

where: n – the refractive index c - speed of light in a vacuum v – the speed of light in the medium

Based on the refractive index of the medium, the light ray changes its direction, or it bends at the junction separating the two media. If the light ray
travels from one medium to another of a higher refractive index, it bends towards the normal, else it bends away from the normal.

Refraction of Light in Real Life

 Mirage and looming are optical illusions resulting from refraction of light.
 A swimming pool always looks shallower than it really is because the light coming from the bottom of the pool bends at the surface due to
refraction of light.
 Formation of a rainbow is an example of refraction as the sun rays bend through the raindrops resulting in the rainbow.
  When white light passes through a prism it is split into its component colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet due to refraction
of light.
Applications of Refraction of Light
Refraction has many applications in optics and technology. A few of the prominent applications are listed below:
 A lens uses refraction to form an image of an object for various purposes, such as magnification.
 Spectacles/glasses worn by people with defective vision use the principle of refraction.
 Refraction is used in peepholes of house doors, cameras, movie projectors and telescopes.

Solving Problems on Refraction

1. Light travelling in air enters into an optical fiber of refractive index 1.44.
a) In which direction does the light bend?
b) If the angle of incidence on one end of the fiber is 22 , then what is the angle of refraction?
Answer:
a) The light travels from a rarer medium(air) to a denser medium (optical fiber). Hence the refracted ray will bend towards the normal.
b) The angle of refraction can be calculated as follows:
Given:
Let air be medium 1 and optical fiber be medium 2. Therefore, 𝑛 1.00, 𝑛 1.44, θ 22
Required:
Angle of refraction θ ?
Formula: 𝑛 sinθ 𝑛 θ
Solution: 1.00 𝑠𝑖𝑛22 1.44 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 1.00 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 0.260 sinθ
.
.
θ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 0.260 θ 15 θ
2. The light travelling through the optical fiber (refractive index of optical fiber is 1.44) reaches the end of the optical fiber
and exits into the air. If the angle of incidence at the end of the tube is 30o. Then what would the angle of refraction outside the fiber
be?
Answer:
Given: Let the fiber be medium 1 and air medium 2. Therefore, 𝑛 1.44, 𝑛 1.00, θ 30
Required: angle of refraction outside the fiber θ
Formula: 𝑛 sinθ 𝑛 θ
.
Solution: 1.44sin30 1.00sinθ sinθ30 sinθ sinθ 0.720
.
.
θ
θ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 0.720 θ 46
This time we notice that the angle of refraction is larger than the angle of incidence. This indicates that the light is bending away from the
normal as it enters a rarer material.