Physics 1230: Light and Color

Instructor: Joseph Maclennan CLASS 1 - Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1230

Sources of Light in Nature

Sources of Light in Nature

TodaysTopics
Describing waves Light waves - the Electromagnetic Spectrum Speed of light

Waves We are familiar with waves in everyday life waves on a rope, waves in the ocean, sound waves, shock waves

Propagating waves - air is medium these are called mechanical waves Propagating waves - rope is medium

rope

More about Waves A wave is a propagating disturbance of an equilibrium state - for example ripples on water, waves on a rope, light in vacuum etc. The medium does not have to move far - but the disturbance moves, often at some characteristic speed (e.g. cork on water) Wave on a rope

Light waves

Waves on a Rope

http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/

Concept Question - Waves on a Rope

The direction of motion of the rope is A. Parallel to the propagation of the wave B. Perpendicular to the wave propagation C. Other

Waves

Both the waves in the flag and the ocean waves are waves that you can see - where we see the medium move. There are other kinds of waves that we cannot see, but which we experience every day. These waves are called electromagnetic waves.

Sound Waves

Sound is also a type of wave that we cannot see. Like ocean waves, sound waves need a medium to travel through. Sound can travel through air because air is made of molecules. These molecules carry the sound waves by bumping into each other, like Dominoes knocking each other over. Sound can travel through anything made of molecules - even water! There is no sound in space because there are no molecules there to transmit the sound waves!

Alien Poster

Waves can be either Periodic or Aperiodic Periodic wave space Periodic wave

Aperiodic wave

Wavelength For periodic waves, we can identify a wave length, lambda is the repeat distance of the wave Periodic wave space

Periodic wave

Period and Frequency

For periodic waves, we can identify a period, T, by measuring the time taken for a complete disturbance to pass a given point -

The frequency, , (nu) is the inverse of the period i.e.

= 1/T
and is the number of times per second that an oscillation occurs at any fixed point in space

Wavelength of a Wave
What is the wavelength of the red wave? A) 1m B) 2m C) 3m

meters

Period of a Wave
What is the period of the green wave? A) 1 second B) 1.5 seconds C) 2 seconds

10

(sec)

Wavelength, Frequency, and Velocity For periodic waves, we can identify a speed, v, by Speed = distance/time Speed = Wavelength/Period Speed = Wavelength x frequency

v =
So => c = or =c/ or =c/ So knowing the frequency, we can calculate the wavelength Or knowing the wavelength, we can calculate the frequency For light waves, the speed in air or vacuum is 3 x 108 meters/sec

Wavelength What is the wavelength of this wave?

A) 4 cm B) 8 cm/second C) 8 cm D) 8 m E) None of above

Frequency What is the frequency of this wave?

A) 2 cm/second B) 8 cm/second C) 4 seconds D) 2 cycles/second E) 0.25 cycles/second

Light Waves part of the EM Spectrum

Electromagnetic waves are unlike sound or rope waves because they do not need molecules to travel. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel through air and solid materials - but they can also travel through empty space. This is why astronauts on spacewalks use radios to communicate. Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic wave.

Electromagnetic Waves

EM waves are periodic, with speed given by Speed = Wavelength x frequency

c =
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/electromagnetic/index.html

If watch train go by and 3 cars pass by sign post in one second and each car is 10 meters long, how to calculate speed of train? (which eqn makes sense?) a. Speed of train = (length of car)/(# of cars per second) b. Speed of train = (length of car) x (# of cars per second) c. Speed of train = (# of cars per second) / (length of car) b. Speed of train = (length of car) x (# of cars per second) Speed of light = Wavelength of wave x Frequency OR c = Speed of light = 3 x 108 m/s Wavelength of wave ~ length of car Frequency of wave ~ # of cars (oscillations) per second

Visible light is only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Most of the electromagnetic spectrum is not accessible to us, unless we're aided by special detectors tuned to the desired energies, much like our eyes are "tuned" to the energy of visible light.

Scientific Notation
mega, written M, means 106: a 100 MHz FM station is generating waves at 108 Hz milli, written m, means 10-3: 1/1000 of a meter is a millimeter, or 1 mm micro, written , means 10-6: the wavelength of light is 0.5 micrometers = 0.5 m nano, written n, means 10-9: the wavelength of green light is 500 nanometers = 500 nm

400 nm 0.4 m

500 nm 0.5 m

650 nm 0.65 m

Waves - the Electromagnetic Spectrum

http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/visible.html

Waves - the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic Waves critical to life as we know it! Communications radio, TV, cell phones, portable phones Food prep - microwaves Vision (and Life!) visible light AM radio 530 to 1600 kHz. FM is 88 to 108 MHz. TV is 54-206 MHz (each station gets 6 MHz band (Station 1, 54-60 MHz)) Microwaves - same thing but few x 109 Hz (oscillations/s), Light - same thing but several x 1014 Hz All are electromagnetic waves, but different frequencies: AM radio 530 to 1600 kHz. FM is 88 to 108 MHz. TV broadcasting is 54-206 MHz - each station gets 6 MHz wide band (Station 1 54-60 MHz) Microwaves - same thing but few x 109 Hz (oscillaitons/s), Light - same thing but several x 1014 Hz

What is a resonance?
Many objects oscillate or vibrate at special frequencies called resonant frequencies or resonances When these objects are hit or "shaken" by an external agent at a frequency = to their resonant frequency they will oscillate at their resonant frequency.
Hand moving back and forth at same frequency as pendulums resonant frequency (or hit) Tacoma narrows bridge in the wind Car on a dirt road with regular bumps (washboard effect)

The oscillations of the object are largest when the "shaking" occurs at the objects resonant frequency.

We then say that a resonance has occurred e.g. girl on swing being pushed by her mother (mothers push frequency = swing frequency)

Energy is transferred from an external agent to the object during resonance.

Wineglass broken by an opera singers voice due to resonance between voice sound frequency and natural frequency of wineglass

What do resonances have to do with light?

When light is absorbed by atoms we can think of this as a resonance When light is emitted by atoms we can think of this as a resonance

The light frequency may match a certain frequency of resonant vibration in the atom. When this happens, the energy of the light is transferred to the atom and the light disappears. For example, we see light rays of 470 nm coming into our eyes because this light excites a resonance in certain atoms inside our eyes

For example when an electron hits an atom the atom can gain energy in the form of resonances. This energy in the atom can then be released by another resonant interaction in which light is emitted and the atom loses energy. Each color of light emitted corresponds to a particular atomic resonance.

Resonance and the Creation of Light

Absorption of light Emission of light

How does the light from a light bulb depend on temperature?

Light from ideal sources is generally a mixture of different wavelengths Think of the light from the sun, which is broken up by a prism (Such light is called black- body radiation) The mixture of wavelengths can be understood by asking how bright is the mixture at each wavelength? The result is a curve which peaks at a certain wavelength and falls off at higher or lower wavelengths The hotter the source, the lower the wavelength at which the peak brightness occurs Demo using incandescent bulb with controlled current (and hence temperature) This is important in moviemaking

Black Body Radiation

The hotter the source the bluer the white light. The cooler the source the redder the white light

What can we see?

Concept Question

What is the wavelength of red light? A) 650 nm B) 0.650 m C) 6.5 m D) 65 mm E) none of the above

Concept Question

X-ray wavelengths are A) longer B) shorter C) same

than/as visible light?

How can we "see" using the Infrared?

Since the primary source of infrared radiation is heat or thermal radiation, any object which has a temperature radiates in the infrared. Even objects that we think of as being very cold, such as an ice cube, emit infrared. When an object is not quite hot enough to radiate visible light, it will emit most of its energy in the infrared. For example, hot charcoal may not give off light but it does emit infrared radiation which we feel as heat. The warmer the object, the more infrared radiation it emits.

Humans, at normal body temperature, radiate most strongly in the infrared at a wavelength of about 10 microns.
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/infrared.html

Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Though these waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects, like bumblebees, can see them! Our Sun emits light at all the different wavelengths in electromagnetic spectrum, but it is ultraviolet waves that are responsible for causing sunburns. At right is a satellite image of the Sun taken at an Extreme Ultraviolet wavelength (171 Angstroms).
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/

X-Rays
X-rays were first observed and documented in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Rntgen, a German scientist who found them quite by accident when experimenting with vacuum tubes. A week later, he took an X-ray photograph of his wife's hand which clearly revealed her wedding ring and her bones. The photograph electrified the general public and aroused great scientific interest in the new form of radiation. Rntgen called it "X" to indicate it was an unknown type of radiation. They are still often referred to as Rntgen rays in German-speaking countries.

http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/

Lets check the relationship between wavelength and frequency

Your 101.5 FM radio station broadcasts at a frequency around 101.5 MHz = 101.5 x 106 cycles/second => wavelength = velocity /frequency= (3 x 108)/(101.5 x 106) 3 meters

Lets check the relationship between wavelength and frequency

Your 1490 AM radio station broadcasts at a frequency of 1490 kHz = 1490 x 103 cycles/second What is the wavelength? A) 200 meters B) 2 meters C) 2 mm

Concept Questions 1. If increase amplitude of an electromagnetic wave, wave will get from a transmitter to a receiver a. sooner than small amplitude wave, b. same time, c. faster
ans. b. ALL electromagnetic waves travel at c = speed of light.

2. If increase wavelength of a wave, it will a. move up and down with higher frequency b. move up and down with lower frequency c. frequency stays the same e. Speed stays the same
ans. b. Since the speed of light is the same at c, if the wavelength increases, the frequency MUST decrease

Speed of Light - Jupiter's Moon Io

(see http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/spedlite.html)

1676, Ole Rmer, a Danish astronomer, working at the Paris Observatory. He had made a systematic study of Io, one of the moons of Jupiter, which was eclipsed by Jupiter at regular intervals, as Io went around Jupiter in a circular orbit at a steady rate.

(see http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/spedlite.html)

Michelson Measures the Speed of Light (1875)

Michelson in 1875 is commissioned and becomes an instructor in physics and chemistry at the Naval Academy. Lecture demonstrations had just been introduced at Annapolis and it was suggested that it would be a good demonstration to measure the speed of light by Foucault's method. Michelson soon realized, on putting together the apparatus, that he could redesign it for much greater accuracy. Instead of Foucault's 60 feet to the far mirror, Michelson had about 2,000 feet along the bank of the Severn, a distance he measured to one tenth of an inch. He invested in very high quality lenses and mirrors to focus and reflect the beam. His final result was 186,355 miles per second, with possible error of 30 miles per second or so. This was twenty times more accurate than Foucault, made the New York Times, and Michelson was famous while still in his twenties. In fact, this was accepted as the most accurate measurement of the speed of light for the next forty years, at which point Michelson measured it again.

Measuring the speed of light (Michelson, 1926)

Rotating mirror

22 miles

Reflecting mirror

Telescope

Measuring the speed of light

Rotating mirror

22 miles

Telescope

Reflecting mirror

At proper speed, mirror moved 1/8 turn during the 44 mile path of light, and therefore the return light was visible through the telescope. This happened at 530 revolutions per second. => Speed = distance/time = 44 miles/(1/8 x 1/530) seconds = 186,000 miles/second

Speed of Light as a Constant since 1983

The speed of light in the vacuum of free space is an important physical constant usually denoted by the symbol c. The metre is defined such that the speed of light in free space is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (m/s).

The Globe