Light, Waves, and the Human Eye

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the anatomy of the human eye, wave properties, and the physics of light and color based on the lecture notes.

Vitreous humour

The fluid that helps the eye hold its 'spherical' shape and provides pressure to keep the retina in place.

Retina

The lining inside the back of the eye containing light-sensitive receptors called rods and cones that convert light rays into electrical impulses.

Lens

A clear capsule behind the iris that bends light rays to form an image on the retina; it can change shape to focus on objects at different distances.

Iris

The coloured muscle of the eye that adjusts the size of the pupil to control how much light enters.

Sclera

The tough, white outer layer of the eyeball made of interwoven fibres where muscles attach to allow eye movement.

Optic nerve

Nerve fibres that connect the retina to the brain's visual cortex, sending electrical impulses to be interpreted as images.

Pupil

The dark space in the middle of the iris that enlarges or constricts depending on the brightness of light.

Cornea

A part of the eye that protects sensitive internal components and helps focus light.

Amplitude

The height of a wave, measured from the center line to the peak or trough.

Peaks

Also known as crests, these are the highest points on a wave.

Troughs

The lowest points on a wave.

Wavelength

The distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs in a wave.

Refraction

The bending of light as it passes through different transparent substances, such as moving from air to water or glass.

Converging lenses

Lenses curved on one or both surfaces that refract light rays inwards toward a focus.

Diverging lenses

Lenses that refract light rays outwards.

Reflection

The phenomenon occurring when light or sound strikes a surface and bounces off.

Incident ray

The ingoing ray of light that strikes a surface.

Focus

The specific point at which light rays meet after being reflected or refracted.

Dispersion

The splitting up of white light into a spectrum of colours, occurring because each colour is refracted slightly differently.

Spectrum

The range of colours produced by dispersion: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet ($ROYGBIV$).

Addition

The process of making colours by shining different coloured lights (such as red, green, and blue) together.

Filter

A material, such as coloured glass, that transmits its own colour while absorbing all other colours.

Plane mirror

A mirror that is flat and not curved.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a lens to the point where the light rays converge ($f$).