science

Sir Isaac Newton

Who wrote optics?

Particle theory of light

The idea that light is a stream of tiny particles emitted by a light source

The wave theory of light

The idea that light consist of waves not particles

James Clerk Maxwell

Who was the Scottish physicist who demonstrated that light consist of two transverse waves oscillating at right angles to each other?

Electromagnetic wave

A wave of consisting of two transverse waves, one electric and one magnetic, oscillating at right angles to each other

Heinrich Hertz

German professor or physicist who demonstrated the existence of invisible electromagnetic waves

Photoelectric effect

A phenomenon that occurs when light above a certain frequency Knox electrons loose from atoms of certain metals

Quantum theory of light

The theory is stating that light has both a wave nature and a particle nature

Photon

A tiny bundle or packet of energy

Light

Electromagnetic waves traveling as photons

Visible light

The range of electromagnetic waves that the human eye can perceive

Visible spectrum

The range of electromagnetic waves that the human eye can perceive as having color

White

A mixture of all the colors

Gray

Less-intense white light

Black

The absence of color

Additive primary colors

Red, green, and blue; the three colors of light that can be mixed to create the illusion of almost any color

Subtractive primary colors

Magenta, cyan, and yellow; three colors of pigments that can be mixed to produce the illusion of almost any color

Concave mirror

A mirror in which the reflecting side is on the inside of the spherical surface

Convex mirror

A mirror in which the reflecting side is on the outside of the spherical surface

Refraction

The bending of a path of a wave as a result of a change in wave speed, usually caused by crossing the boundary between two media

Lens

A piece of glass or other substance, especially designed to refract light

Convex lens

A lens that curves outward and causes raises of light, passing through it to bend inward and converge on a point

Concave lens

A lens that curves inward, like the opening of a cave, and causes rays of light passing through it to bend outward

Mirage

An illusion that occurs when the light rays from a distant object are refracted by heated air so that the object appears to be nearby

Scintillation

The twinkling of stars caused by refraction of light

Rainbow

A semi circular arc of colored bands of light that forms in the sky when millions of airborne water droplets act like tiny prisms

Iridescence

The phenomenon in which colors are produced on the surface of an object by interference; the colors seen depend on the viewing angle

Antinode

The light fringe that results from constructive interference of light waves coming from different parts of a narrow slit

Node

The dark fringe that results from destructive interference of light waves coming from different parts of a narrow slit

Diffraction grating

A simple device that uses refraction to produce spectra (rainbow)

Spectroscopy

Any scientific technique that analyzes a substance or phenomenon by observing a light spectrum

red shift

When the object is going away from us blue or red?

Polarized

Refers to a beam of light containing waves that are all aligned in the same direction