Summary Notes Topic 5 Edexcel Physics GCSE

Edexcel GCSE Physics
Topic 5: Light and the Electromagnetic

Spectrum
Notes
(Content in bold is for Higher Tier only)
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Ray Diagrams (Physics only)
- Arrows show direction of light travelling
- The normal is an (imaginary) dashed line which is perpendicular to the surface, and from
which all angles are measured from
- Incident Angle is the angle of the entering ray
- Reflected Angle is the angle of the exiting ray
Reflection (Physics only)
- Incident angle = reflection angle
- Angles are always measured from normal
Refraction (Physics only)

- If entering a denser material, it bends towards the normal
- If entering a less dense material, it bends away from
normal Denser medium
Total Internal Reflection (TIR) (Physics only)

- This occurs when the light is passing from a denser
medium into a less dense medium (glass to air)
- If the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle, the
refracted ray will pass along the boundary and not exit
the medium
Critical Angle
o The critical angle is a unique angle for each two
media (the critical angle for glass-air is different
to glass-water)
- For larger angles, the light internally reflects (following
the above law of reflection) back into the glass
Summary for glass to air (Physics only)

- If angle LESS than critical angle, light refracts away from normal
- If angle EQUAL to critical angle, light passes along boundary
- If angle MORE than critical angle, light reflects
Specular Reflection (Physics only)

- Mirror reflection, following law of reflection, for a smooth surface (all light incident at the
same angle all exit at the same angle)
Diffuse Reflection (Physics only)
- Light hitting a rough surface – incident ray is reflected at many angles rather than just one
angle
Colour (Physics only)

- Each colour is just a certain wavelength in visible light
- All the colours together make up white light
Opaque Material (Physics only)

- Objects appear to have a certain colour (e.g. ‘green’), as out of the incident white light only
that certain colour light (green light) is reflected, all other colours are absorbed
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Colour Filters (Physics only)
- All other colours are absorbed, and only a certain colour is allowed to pass through - so only
a certain wavelength is transmitted through the filter
Lenses (Physics only)

- Focal Length is the distance between the lens and the focal point
- Focal Point is the point where all horizontal rays meet after passing through the lens
- Power of the lens is the inverse of the focal length
o Shorter focal length, greater power
o Thicker lens means shorter focal length, so greater power
Concave Lenses (Physics only)

- “Caves” inward
- Thinner at centre than at edges
- Spreads light outwards
- Light appears to have come from the focal point
o Draw horizontal ray from top of object
to lens
o Draw a faint line from focal point to
point where the ray hits the lens
o The ray exits the lens along the same
direction as the faint line (shown by
images.slideplayer.com
blue line)
- It is used to spread out light further
o E.g. they are used to correct short-sightedness
o As light is focused in front of the retina, so needs to be spread out slightly to be able
to be focused onto retina
Convex Lenses (Physics only)

- Fatter at centre
- Focuses light inwards
- Horizontal rays focus onto focal point
- They are used for magnifying glasses,
binoculars and to correct long-
sightedness, as it focuses the rays closer openstudy.com
Images (Physics only)

- A Real image is an image produced at the opposite
side of the lens to the object
o The above image for a convex lens is a real
image
- Virtual images appear to come from the same side
of the lens to the object
leydenscience.org
o This is if the object lies closer to the lens
than the focal point (F)
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EM Waves
- All electromagnetic waves transfer energy from source to observer
o The waves contain energy, for example microwaves which transfers energy from
source to food
- They are transverse waves
- They all travel at the same speed in a vacuum
westernreservepublicmedia.org
Need to learn the main groups, and in which order (for increasing wavelength or frequency)
- EM waves do not need particles to move

- In space, all waves have the same velocity (speed of light)
- They can transfer energy from a source to absorber
o Microwave source to food
o Sun emits energy to Earth
- Our eyes can only detect visible light
- Materials interact with EM waves differently depending on the wavelength
o Glass can transmit visible light, reflect/absorb UV and IR
Relationships
- As speed is constant for all EM waves in a vacuum
- As wavelength decreases, frequency must increase
- As frequency increases, energy of the wave increases
All Bodies emit radiation

- The higher the temperature, the more intense (and more wavelengths) will be emitted
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Temperature
- It must radiate the same average power that it absorbs to remain at a constant
temperature
- If It absorbs more power than it emits –the temperature will increase
- If it absorbs less power than it emits – the temperature will decrease
- Temperature of the earth – this is maintained by the amount of energy received and
emitted from the sun
o Short-wavelength Infra-red radiation from the sun reaches the Earth
o Some is reflected by the atmosphere, most reaches the surface
o The energy is absorbed and re-emitted as longer-length IR radiation
o This is mostly absorbed by the atmosphere (greenhouse gases, CO 2 etc.) and keeps
the Earth warm
Danger of the EM spectrum

- Higher frequency EM waves have more energy, so exposure can transfer too much energy to
cells, causing them to mutate and potentially damage them/causing cancer
- Microwaves - Internal heating of body cells
- Infra-Red - Skin burns
- UV - Damage to surface cells and eyes, leading to skin cancer
- X-ray/Gamma - Mutation or damage to cells in the body
Uses of the EM spectrum,

- Radio - Communications, satellite transmission.
• They can be produced by oscillations in electrical circuits, or they
can induce oscillations in electrical circuits
- Microwave - Cooking, communication
- IR - Cooking, thermal imaging, short range communication, optical fibres
- Visible - Vision, photography, illumination
- UV - Security marking, fluorescent lamps, disinfecting water
- X-ray - Observing internal structure of objects, airport/medical scanners
- Gamma - Sterilising food/medical equipment, treating cancer
Change in Atoms and Nuclei:

- Generate radiations over a wide frequency range
- Be caused by absorption of a range of radiation
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Summary Notes Topic 5 Edexcel Physics GCSE

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Edexcel GCSE Physics

Topic 5: Light and the Electromagnetic

Refraction (Physics only)

Total Internal Reflection (TIR) (Physics only)

Summary for glass to air (Physics only)

Specular Reflection (Physics only)

Colour (Physics only)

Opaque Material (Physics only)

Lenses (Physics only)

Concave Lenses (Physics only)

Convex Lenses (Physics only)

Images (Physics only)

- EM waves do not need particles to move

All Bodies emit radiation

Danger of the EM spectrum

Uses of the EM spectrum,

Change in Atoms and Nuclei:

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