Light and Optics Review

Flashcards based on lecture notes about light and optics.

Straight lines

Light travels in these.

Transverse waves

Light travels as these types of waves.

Transparent materials

Materials that allow light to pass straight through them.

Opaque objects

Materials that block all light.

Translucent objects

Materials that allow some light to pass through, but it is scattered.

Transmission

The process where transparent materials let light pass straight through.

Absorption

The process where opaque surfaces can absorb or reflect light.

White surfaces

The type of surface that reflects most of the light that hits them.

Black surfaces

The type of surface that absorbs light very well and reflect very little.

Rough surfaces

Light rays are scattered by these surfaces.

Specular reflection

Mirrors and shiny materials such as polished metals reflect light in this way.

Angle of reflection

The angle of incidence is equal to this angle.

Refraction

When light hits something transparent and changes speed and direction, this is called…

Lenses

Curved pieces of glass or transparent plastic that are designed to refract light in particular ways.

Converging lens

A lens that makes rays of light come together.

Focal point

The point where parallel rays of light are brought together by a lens.

Rod cells

Detects faint light but not colors.

Cone cells

Detect the primary colors of red, blue, and green.

Dispersion

The splitting of color into a spectrum.

Filters

Used to make colored light and transmit one of the colors in white light.