SCIENCE 2.

UNIT 2: Light

ACTIVITY 1. What is light?

Have you ever wondered why we are able to see the different
objects around us, their images in a mirror, in a pond? This is simply
due to reflection of light. But, what is light?

1.1 What is light? Is it a particle or a wave?

Watch this video1. Once you finished, answer the questions below:
(Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1yIApZtLos)

a. Who were the first people to think more or less scientifically what light is and how the
vision works?
The greeks Plato and Pythagoras

b. According to them, where was the origin of light?

they toutght that light originated in our eyes and that vision happend when little
invisible probes

c. What is the name of the Arab scientist that one thousand years ago said that this theory
couldn't be right?
His name is Alhazen

d. What did this scientist affirm?

Light is composed by tiny particles that our eyes collect.

e. What is a source of light?

Sun and lightbulb are sourcers of light

f. Very few objects emit their own light. Why can we see most of the objects around us if
they are not sources of light?

Because they reflect the light of sources of light.

g. What did Newton believe about light?

That light is a little particle atom like, he called this corpuscles

h. In the 19th century, long after Newton died scientists did a series of experiments
(interaction of two paths of light,..). What did these experiments show?

They have a behaviour like a wave and a corpuscle at the same time
i. So, light is a particle or a wave?
Light is a mix of particle and waves

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

1.2 Light-matter interactions.

What happens when light meets matter?

Light, like any other wave, can interact with matter.
When light waves strike the surface of an object, they can be reflected or they can penetrate
it. The waves that penetrate into the object can be absorbed or transmitted and, while they
are passing through the object, they may be scattered indifferent directions.
In this way, materials can be classified based on how light interacts with them.

a. Watch this VIDEO2 .

(Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmVXARWLIY )

Once you finished, complete the sentence in the box:

Why are we able to see the objects that are around us?
When the light emitted by a source falls on the objects that are around us, these
objects reflect this light into our eyes.

b. To see the objects that are around us we need a source of light, an object that emits light
energy by itself.
● In the video2 three sources of light are mentioned. Write them.
Sun, tubelight, torch
● What is the name we give to an object that is a source of light?
Luminous objects.
● Classify these objects into luminous objects and non-luminous objects:

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

LUMINOUS objects NON-LUMINOUS objects

(Primary light source) (secondary light source)

Moon, mirror, shadow, diamond,

Lighthouse, bulb, campfire, firefly reflective vest

c. Draw the journey that light takes from the source of light to the receiver of light when a
person is reading a book. To do it:
1. Add lines to show how the rays of light reach the eyes.
2. Then use the words below to add sentences describing your diagram.

Key words: Emit, reflect, luminous, non-luminous, lamp, book.

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

The lamp is luminous and emit light this light travel to a non-lomunious object for
exemple a book and reflect the light travel until our eyes.

Ray tracing exemple

d. Choose the correct word to complete these sentences.

Transparent / Translucent / Opaque media do not allow light to pass through them.
Light is absorbed or reflected by them so we cannot see through them at all. Another
word for these kinds of objects is obscured.

Transparent / Translucent / Opaque media allow all light to pass through them (they
allow the transmission of light rays without scattering them). This means that objects
can be clearly visible through them.

💡 Transparent / Translucent / Opaque media allow light rays to pass through them,
but they scatter the light rays. This means that we can partially see objects through
them. Another word for these kinds of objects is semi-transparent.

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

e. Classify these three glasses in transparent, translucent and opaque according to the way
the light rays pass through them.

Translucent opaque transparent

f. Watch the video2 another time and complete the table with the examples of opaque,
translucent and transparent objects that appear in it.

OPAQUE media TRANSLUCENT media TRANSPARENT media

Butter paper, plastic, Water, plastic bottle, air

Wood, metal, colored milky glass
plastic

g. Imagine that you use a flashlight to shine a light through the objects listed below. Classify
into transparent (TP), translucent (TL) or opaque (O) objects.
● tinted car window (TL) ● stone wall (O)
● cellophane (TL TP) ● wax paper (TL)
● sunglasses (TL TP) ● vegetable oil (TL)
● wooden door (O) ● plastic wrap (TP),
● metal roof (O) ● closed textbook (O)
● single piece of tissue paper (TL) ● frosted glass shower door (TL),

h. To sum up!: indicate the type of media where each of the following light-related
phenomena occur.

Light interacts with them.

● Transparent media
● Translucent media
● Opaque media.
Light is transmitted through them.

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

● Transparent media
● Translucent media
● Opaque media.
Light is absorbed by them.
● Transparent media
● Translucent media
● Opaque media.
Light is transmitted and scattered through them.
● Transparent media
● Translucent media
● Opaque media.
Light is transmitted through them, but is not scattered.
● Transparent media
● Translucent media
● Opaque media.

1.3 What is a shadow?

If light traveling from a light source gets blocked it creates a shadow on a surface.

a. Watch the video3 to know more about how a shadow is formed.

(Youtube link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNDH1MHkRyk )

b. Now, complete the sentences using the words given in the box.

bigger, increases, darkness, size, angle, distance , blocks

● A shadow is an area of darkness that appears on a surface when an object blocks the
rays of light emitted by a source of light because the object is located between the
source of light and the surface.
● A shadow can change size depending on the distance the object that blocks the light
rays is from the light source.
- If the light source is closer to the object, the shadow becomes bigger
● If the distance between the object and the light source is the same, but the distance
to the wall is increased, the size of the shadow increases
● Shadows can also be elongated or shortened depending on the angle of the light
source.

Watch this video to know how the size and position of a shadow relative to the
object depends on the position of the light source.

c. If the light source is large enough (not a point) that the light rays are emitted from
different points, when they interact with an opaque media they generate shadows, which
consists of umbras and penumbras.

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 SCIENCE 2. UNIT 2: Light

Watch this video to see that shadows cast by different sources of light are
different for the same object.

● Choose the correct word to complete these sentences:

💡 The penumbra / umbra of an object is the region not reached by the light rays from
the source, because of the presence of this blocking object.
💡 The penumbra /umbra of an object is the region where the light rays emitted by
the source are only partially cut off due to the presence of the blocking object.

Watch this video to understand these concepts with an experiment.

● In the diagram given of a moon eclipse, what is letter A? And letter B?

Letter A is Penumbra and letter B is umbra

d. Can all kinds of objects, transparent, translucent and opaque objects, form shadows?

No, only transucent and opaque objects.

To know the answer to this question watch the following video4.