1 of 1

Glossary:

Angle of incidence - Between the normal and incident ray.

Angle of reflection - Between the normal and reflected ray.

Concave - A lens that is thinner in the middle and that spreads out light rays.

Converging - Bringing rays of light together.

Convex - A lens that is thicker in the middle and that bends light rays towards each other.

Filter - A piece of material that allows some radiation (colours) through but absorbs the rest.

Focal point - The point at which the rays refracted by a convex lens cross over.

Incident ray - The incoming ray from a source of light.

Normal line - An imaginary line from which angles are measured, at right angles to the surface.

Opaque - A material that allows no light to pass through it.

Refraction - Change in the direction of light going from one material into another.

Spectrum - A band of light produced when light is spread out by a prism.

Translucent - A material that allows some light to pass through it.

Transparent - A material that allows all light to pass through it.

Light

Objects are transparent, translucent or opaque.
Light travels through a vacuum at 300 000 000 m/s
During an eclipse, what you see depends on where you are.
The law of reflection says that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
When light goes in to glass or water, it is refracted towards the normal. When it leaves it is refracted away from the normal.
A convex (converging) lens focuses light to a focal point. Lenses correct short and long sight.
Prisms disperse white light to produce a continuous spectrum.
Filters and coloured objects subtract colours from white light by transmitting or reflecting the colour that they are and absorbing the rest.

The Eye

Humans, along with other animals, �have eyes to allow them to see.
Light that is emitted, or reflected, �from objects travels through the pupil,� through the lens, before reaching the �retina at the back of the eye.
The retina then sends impulses to �the brain.

Refraction

When light reaches a boundary between two materials (mediums) it can sometimes change its direction. This is all to do with how dense each material is. This process is called refraction.

Reflection

When light (and other waves) interact with an object they can bounce off the surface. When they do we call this reflection. The light waves will bounce off at exactly the same angle that they original hit the surface.

Light