Light: A Wave and a Particle

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

•explain how the photon theory of light accounts for atomic spectra;
•discuss why red light is used in photographic dark rooms;
•determine why you easily get sunburned in ultraviolet light but not in visible
light; and
•explain how you see colors.
Have you ever wondered how we see colors?
 Atoms are composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Inside an atom, electrons are located at specific energy levels,
and they can move to higher energy level when given a certain amount of energy, for example through collisions with light.
Light is composed of photons. Based on the photon theory of light, a photon is a discrete bundle of electromagnetic energy
moving at the speed of light, has no rest mass but has momentum, and carries energy. This energy is given to an electron
upon their collision, which causes it to move up to the next energy level. After about 10-8 s, it will go back to its original
level and emit light in the form of photons.
The emitted light has a certain wavelength that corresponds to different colors. It can be observed as a series of
colored lines with black spaces in between. This is called atomic spectra. Each element has its unique set of
spectral lines.
 The Photoelectric Effect

The photoelectric effect refers to the ejection of electrons from a surface of a metal in response to light directed to
the metal.
Albert Einstein proposed that light consisted of individual photons, which interacted with the electrons in the
surface of the metal. For each frequency or color of the incident light, each photon carried energy.
Increasing intensity of light corresponded to increasing incident of photons while the energy of the photons remained the
same. More electrons are ejected upon the increase in incident light. Increasing the frequency of light would increase the
energy of the ejected electrons.
The energy carried by a photon is directly proportional to its frequency. The arrangement of the visible spectrum
of light shows that red color has the least frequency, which means it also has the least energy.
Since photographers use light-sensitive photographic papers, red light would not overexpose and ruin the pictures
during the developing process.
Color Spectra
Color Spectra
Colors are not innate to objects. They give off light that appears as colors. Colors only exist in the human visual
system and is determined by frequencies. When light reaches the eye, it falls into a receptor cell at the back of the
eye or retina and gives signals to the brain, which interprets the image with colors.
Colors are based on frequencies. Given an ample bright light at around 400 THz, a person would be able to
perceive a dull red. As the frequency increases, the color gradually changes from red to violet.
Ultraviolet Radiation
Ultraviolet Radiation
Different colors of light have photons of different energies. Based on the frequency and wavelength in a visible
light, red has low frequency and long wavelength, which means that it contains less energy. Blue, on the other
hand, has high frequency and short wavelength, which means it contains more energy. Beyond the visible light, the
ultraviolet light has greater frequency and shorter wavelength, which means it carries greater energy than the visible
light. This explains why we easily get sunburned under the ultraviolet rays of light than under the visible light.
Explore!
Imagine you are looking at a rainbow. You can see the ROYGBIV colors namely red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet. They are seen under a visible light. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes right after violet. How
come UV is invisible to us?
Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Although UV waves are invisible to the human
eye, some insects, such as bumblebees, can see them. This is similar to how a dog can hear the sound of a whistle
just outside the hearing range of humans.
Think of the brightest colors you’ve ever seen. Maybe you’ve stared into a crisp blue sky. Perhaps you picture
bright green grass. You might even think of a beautiful sunrise or sunset.
 where the colors you see come from?
They’re made by waves of light bouncing off other objects.
But would you believe there are some light waves that can’t be seen by the average human eye?

It’s true! Generally, humans can see light with wavelengths between 380 and 700 nanometers (nm). All the colors of the
rainbow—from red all the way down to violet—fall within that range. But ultraviolet (UV) light has wavelengths shorter than
380 nm. That means they go undetected by the human eye.
 Are you WONDERing where the name “ultraviolet” comes from?
You might already know that violet light has the shortest wavelength of all the visible colors. That means it travels faster and
has more energy than the other colors of light. The prefix “ultra-” means “beyond.” UV light waves move faster than violet
ones. So, “ultraviolet” means this type of light is beyond violet, which is the fastest color we can see.
 Just because humans can’t see UV light doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect us. Most of the UV rays are absorbed by the Earth’s
atmosphere. However, those that reach us can cause sunburn and other damage. This is one reason why the ozone layer is so
important. Without it, more UV light would reach the Earth’s surface.
Is UV light invisible to everyone? Actually, no. People with a condition called aphakia can see UV light waves. Those with
aphakia are missing an eye lens, often due to surgery or genetics. The lack of this lens enables them to see beyond the
visible spectrum of light, but it also causes blurry vision and farsightedness.
 How about the other end of the spectrum of visible light? Red light has the longest wavelength commonly visible to
humans. Light with longer wavelengths than red is called infrared. Scientists once believed no one could see infrared light.
However, experts today think many humans can do so, especially if more than one infrared photon hits the eye at once.
AURORAE
Aurorae are caused by high-energy waves that travel along a planet's magnetic poles, where they excite atmospheric gases
and cause them to glow. Photons in this high-energy radiation bump into atoms of gases in the atmosphere causing electrons
in the atoms to excite, or move to the atom's upper shells. When the electrons move back down to a lower shell, the energy is
released as light, and the atom returns to a relaxed state. The color of this light can reveal what type of atom was excited.
Green light indicates oxygen at lower altitudes. Red light can be from oxygen molecules at a higher altitude or from
nitrogen. On Earth, aurorae around the north pole are called the Northern Lights.