EM Waves and Light Properties

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary related to electromagnetic waves, light properties, and their behavior.

Electromagnetic Waves

Waves that consist of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that travel through space.

Speed of Light

The speed at which light travels in a vacuum, approximately 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

Photon

A single bundle of electromagnetic radiation, treated as a particle of light.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

A classification of all EM waves based on frequency and/or wavelength.

Frequency

The number of waves that pass a given point per second, measured in hertz (Hz).

Wavelength

The distance between consecutive crests of a wave, often measured in meters.

Visible Light

The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye.

Infrared Light

Light with wavelengths longer than visible light, felt as heat.

Ultraviolet Light

Light with wavelengths shorter than visible light, can cause sunburn.

X-rays

High energy waves used in medical imaging, can penetrate body tissues.

Gamma Rays

The most energetic electromagnetic waves, produced by nuclear reactions.

Transverse Waves

Waves where the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.

Conservation of Energy

A physical law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Additive Color Mixing

Combining different colors of light to create new colors, like red, green, and blue.

Subtractive Color Mixing

Combining colors by removing light, used in paints and pigments.

Index of Refraction

A measure of how much light slows down in a material compared to a vacuum.

Reflection

When light bounces off a surface instead of passing through it.

Refraction

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.

Normal Line

An imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the surface where light strikes.

Law of Reflection

States that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

Total Internal Reflection

When light reflects entirely within a medium instead of passing into another.

Critical Angle

The angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs.

Dispersion

The separation of light into its component colors, such as in a rainbow.

Concave Lens

A lens that causes light rays to diverge, producing a virtual image.

Convex Lens

A lens that converges light rays to a point, forming a real image.

Focal Point

The point where light rays converge after passing through a lens.

Real Image

An image formed by converging light rays, always inverted.

Virtual Image

An image formed by diverging light rays, always upright.

Snell's Law

Mathematical relationship that describes the refraction of light, n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2).

Optical Density

A measure of how much a material slows down light.

Heat Energy

Energy that is transferred due to temperature differences, associated with infrared.

ROYGBV

An acronym for the colors of the visible spectrum: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet.

Electromagnetic Radiation

Energy propagated as EM waves, including radio waves, light, and x-rays.

Absorption

The process by which matter takes in light energy.

Emission

The release of absorbed energy as light.

Microwaves

Electromagnetic waves used in communication and heating, with wavelengths shorter than radio waves.

Radiowaves

Lowest energy waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, used for communication.

Gamma Radiation

High-energy radiation that can damage living cells.

IR Radiation

Infrared radiation associated with heat.

Radiation

Energy in the form of waves or particles traveling through space.

Wave Front

An imaginary surface representing points of a wave that are in phase.

Optical Fiber

Thin strands of glass or plastic that transmit light using total internal reflection.

Laser

A device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of radiation.

Image Formation

The process by which an image is created through reflection or refraction.

Convergence

The process of light rays meeting at a point.

Divergence

The process of light rays spreading apart.

Magnification

The process of enlarging the appearance of an object.

Angle of Incidence

The angle formed by the incoming ray and the normal line.

Angle of Refraction

The angle formed by the refracted ray and the normal line.

Surface Roughness

The texture of a surface that affects reflection and diffusion of light.

Spectroscopy

The study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.

Electromagnetic Field

A physical field produced by electrically charged objects, influencing the behavior of charged objects.

Vibrating Electric Field

An oscillating electric field that generates a magnetic field.

Watt

A unit of power equal to one joule per second.

Joule

A unit of energy or work.

Absorption Spectrum

The range of wavelengths absorbed by a substance.

Emission Spectrum

The range of wavelengths emitted by a substance.

Photon Energy

The energy carried by a single photon of electromagnetic radiation.

Planck's Equation

An equation that describes the energy of a photon, E = hf, where h is Planck's constant.

Quantum

The smallest amount of energy that can be gained or lost by an atom.

Cold Light

Light produced by chemical reactions, producing little or no heat.

Bioluminescence

The production and emission of light by living organisms.

Fluorescence

The emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation.

Phosphorescence

The process of absorbing light and then emitting it slowly over time.

Interference

The effect of overlapping waves, leading to reinforcement or cancellation.

Diffraction

The bending of waves around obstacles or openings.

Color Perception

The way our brain interprets different wavelengths of light as colors.

Light Intensity

The amount of light energy received per unit area.

Luminous Objects

Objects that emit their own light.

Illuminated Objects

Objects that reflect light from other sources.

Angle of Total Internal Reflection

Occurs when light travels from a denser to a less dense medium at a specific angle.

Brightness Contrast

The difference in light intensity between an object and its background.

Microphotography

The process of taking pictures of very small objects.

Spherical Aberration

Distortion in images caused by differences in focal points in a lens.

Chromatic Aberration

The failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point.

Aberration Correction

Techniques used to reduce optical distortions in lenses.

Lens Design

The art and science of designing lenses to achieve desired optical properties.