Optics and Light

Flashcards from Lecture Notes

Who is considered the father of modern optics?

Ibn al-Haytham (Arab al Haytham)

What did Ibn al-Haytham describe about light?

How light bounces off objects and travels to the eye.

What did Newton's prism experiment demonstrate?

White light is composed of many colors, which can be recombined into white light.

Who made the first estimate of the speed of light and in what year?

Ole Romer, 1676

How did Albert Michelson calculate the speed of light?

By dividing the distance light traveled between two mountaintop mirrors by the time it took.

What was Michelson's calculated speed of light?

299,798 km/s

Name three properties of light.

Very fast, travels in straight lines, varies in intensity, made of many colours, can be reflected, can bend, is a form of energy.

What are the characteristics of telescopes?

Magnifies and collects light.

How does a refracting telescope work?

Uses two lenses; a larger objective lens gathers light and focuses it on the eyepiece.

How does a reflecting telescope work?

Uses lenses and mirrors to form an image.

What is the function of binoculars?

Two short refracting telescopes put together.

Describe transparent mediums.

Light goes straight through.

Describe translucent mediums.

Some light goes through.

Describe opaque mediums.

No light goes through.

What are non-luminous materials?

Objects that don't produce light.

What are luminous materials?

Objects that produce light.

Describe regular reflection.

Occurs on smooth surfaces; incoming rays are parallel to each other.

Describe diffuse reflection.

Occurs on bumpy surfaces; incoming rays are not parallel to each other.

How do two-way mirrors work?

Designed to let 50% of light through, making one side reflective and the other side clear.

State the law of reflection.

The angle of reflection is the same as the angle of incidence.

Describe a concave mirror.

Surface curves inward.

What is the use of concave mirrors?

Good at bringing light to a focal point.

Describe a convex mirror.

Surface curves outward.

What is the use of convex mirrors?

Good at spreading out light.

What causes light to refract?

Change in the speed of light when traveling from one material to another.

How does density affect refraction?

The denser the material, the more it refracts light.

What is a lens?

Curved glass or any other transparent material.

What are the advantages of a convex lens?

Collects light, forms a real image that can be projected upon a screen.