W.S.75. Reflection.
Name ………………………………………
We can see objects because light travels from them into our eyes. LUMINOUS
objects make their own light, e.g. the Sun, a light bulb and a candle. Most objects do
not make their own light. We see them because light bounces off them into our eyes.
This is called REFLECTION.
1. Light rays travel 3. The ray enters the
away from the bulb eye and the person
in all directions. 2. A ray reflects sees the book.
off the book.
Mirrors.
Mirrors have a very smooth, shiny surface. All of the light rays bounce off them at
the same angle. This is what makes a clear REFLECTION.
Light rays are reflected off the paper in Light rays hitting a mirror are all reflected
all directions due to its rough surface. at the same angle due to its smooth surface.
The rays that hit the mirror are called the INCIDENT RAYS. The diagram above
shows that the REFLECTED RAYS leave the surface of the mirror at the same
angle that they came in at.
Exercise – Complete the questions below.
1) A L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ object gives off its own light.
2) Underline the objects below that give off their own light.
TORCH BOOK CANDLE MIRROR GLOW WORM MOON SUN COIN FIREWORK
3) We can see our R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in shiny, smooth surfaces.
4) Complete the diagrams below.
mirror
normal line
45
normal line
W.S.76. Refraction of light. Name ………………………………………
Any material that light can travel normal
through is called a MEDIUM. incident ray
When light rays travel from one
medium to another they bend. Incident ray bends
AIR GLASS
This is called REFRACTION. The towards the normal.
diagram shows how a ray of light
bends as it travels from air, into
Refracted ray bends
a glass block, and out again. normal
away from the normal.
How refraction happens.
The light bends because it travels more slowly in glass than it does in air. This can be
compared to a car that travels more quickly on a road than it does on sand :
LIGHT BEAM - FAST
AIR
GLASS
This wheel slows
down first.
SAND
LIGHT BEAM - SLOW
Exercise – Complete the sentences and diagram below.
1) Any material that light can travel through is called a M _ _ _ _ _
2) The bending of light is called R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3) Light travels more _ _ _ _ _ _ in glass than it does in air.
4) Light bends as it passes from air to glass because it changes _ _ _ _ _
Complete the diagram below to show why the coin appears higher in the water than it really is.
EYE
The coin appears
to be here.
W.S.77. The spectrum. Name ………………………………………
A PRISM is a triangular glass block. If a beam of white light is passed through a
prism it is REFRACTED (bent). The light is also split up into seven different colours
called a SPECTRUM.
Red – bent the least
Orange
White light enters Yellow
the prism. Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet – bent the most
PRISM SCREEN
This spreading out of colours is called DISPERSION. It also happens when light hits
rain drops which is how rainbows form. An easy way to remember the order that the
colours appear in is to remember this rhyme :
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.
The effect of coloured filters on white light.
A FILTER only allows one colour of light to pass through it. The filter ABSORBS the other
colours so they do not pass through.
a red filter a blue filter
red red
orange orange
yellow yellow
green green
blue blue
indigo indigo
violet violet
Exercise – Complete the sentences and diagram below.
1) The range of colours in white light is called the S _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2) The spreading out of the seven colours is called D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3) The colour that is bent the least by a prism is _ _ _
4) The colour that is bent the most by a prism is _ _ _ _ _ _
Complete the diagram below to show what would happen to the light as it meets the two filters.
a red filter a blue filter
red
orange
yellow
green
blue
indigo
violet
W.S.78. Coloured objects in coloured lights. Name …………………………
A white object reflects all seven colours of the spectrum. A red object looks red
because it only allows red light to reflect off it. The rest of the colours of the
spectrum are absorbed by the object.
White light contains
seven colours.
R O Y G B I V R O Y G B I V
Only red light Only green light
is reflected is reflected
into the eye. into the eye.
RED BOOK GREEN BOOK
In red light the red book still looks red because it reflects the red light. If the book
is placed in any other colour of light it will absorb the light . No light is reflected off
the book into the eye so it looks black.
red light blue light
The book still The book
no reflection
looks red. looks black.
RED BOOK RED BOOK
The important rule from this is :
Coloured objects only reflect their own colour light.
Exercise – For the items of clothing in the table below write down the colours that they
would look in the different lights shown. Some have been done for you.
Item of clothing In white light In red light In green light In blue light
white shirt GREEN
red tie RED
blue jeans BLUE
green belt BLACK
