We see light as color and brightness Its actually electromagnetic radiation: Partly electric, partly magnetic Flows in straight

line (radiates) LIGHT WAVES Light is a kind of energy that radiates, or travels, in waves. For example, sound is a wave of vibrating air. light acts like a wave A wave has a wavelength, a speed and a frequency. All light travels same speed (in vacuum) The energy goes up as frequency goes up Color depends on frequency Wavelength gets shorter as frequency goes up Light is a wave of vibrating electric and magnetic fields. It is one small part of a larger range of vibrating electromagnetic fields. This range is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic waves travel through space at 299,792 km/sec (186,282 miles/sec). This is called the speed of light.

The energy of the radiation depends on its wavelength and frequency. Wavelength is the distance between the tops (crests) of the waves. Frequency is the number of waves that pass by each second. The longer the wavelength of the light, the lower the frequency, and the less energy it contains. Light as particle A photon is like a particle, but it has no mass Think of a photon as a grain of sand. We see so many photons at the same time its like seeing all the sand on a beach; we dont notice the single grains When light hits film in a film camera, it acts like photons. What characteristics do light waves have?

Light waves are like other kinds of waves. They have crests (peak), trough, wavelength, frequency and speed. However, light waves are electromagnetic. Light waves have a component that is electric and magnetic. ed of light Light travels at 300,000,000 meters/second It takes 8 minutes for a light wave (or a photon) to travel from the sun to the earth. We see the moon because it reflects the suns light It takes 1 second for light reflected off the moon to reach the earth. Where does light come from? The Sun and stars. But how do they make light? It all starts with ATOMS A nucleus surrounded by electrons that orbit. Electrons get kicked into a different orbit Like the planets in the solar system, electrons stay in the same orbit, unless This doesnt happen very often in solar systems, but it does in atoms If you add energy to an atom (heat it up), the electrons will jump to bigger orbits. When atom cools, electrons jump back to original orbits. As they jump back, they emit light, a form of energy Light is a form of energy called Electromagnetic Radiation. Electromagnetic Radiation comes from the sun and other sources. Electromagnetic Radiation Travels at the speed of light Is mostly invisible Carries energy Is VERY important to society and is something YOU cant be without for many reasons Types of electromagnetic radiation Radio and TV - Great for broadcasting Microwave-Super for cell phones, microwaves Infrared-Think HEAT Visible Light - its how we see Ultraviolet - Invisible, can cause cancer; kills germs X-ray- images of bones and teeth; space exploration Gamma - treating cancer (radiation therapy)

Color of light Visible light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can see. Light from the sun or a light bulb may look white, but it is actually a combination of many colors. We can see the different colors of the spectrum by splitting the light with a prism. The spectrum is also visible when you see a rainbow in the sky.

The colors blend continuously into one another. At one end of the spectrum are the reds and oranges. These gradually shade into yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The colors have different wavelengths, frequencies, and energies. Violet has the shortest wavelength in the visible spectrum. That means it has the highest frequency and energy. Red has the longest wavelength, and lowest frequency and energy. Each electron that jumps back emits one photon of light What color is this light? Depends on how big the jump between orbits was The bigger the jump, the higher the energy. The energy determines color; a blue photon has more energy than a red Shine all the colors together, you get white light!

What characteristics do light waves have? Light waves are like other kinds of waves. They have crests, troughs, wavelength, frequency and speed. However, light waves are electromagnetic. Light waves have a component that is electric and magnetic. Many different kinds of energy travel in waves. For example, sound is a wave of vibrating air. Light is a wave of vibrating electric and magnetic fields. It is one small part of a larger range of vibrating electromagnetic fields. This range is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic waves travel through space at 299,792 km/sec (186,282 miles/sec). This is called the speed of light.

The energy of the radiation depends on its wavelength and frequency. Wavelength is the distance between the tops (crests) of the waves. Frequency is the number of waves that pass by

each second. The longer the wavelength of the light, the lower the frequency, and the less energy it contains.

The sun emits light waves with a range of frequencies. Some of these frequencies fall within the visible light spectrum and thus are detectable by the human eye. The visible light spectrum is the section (part) of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum that is visible to the human eye (the eye can see). It ranges in wavelength from approximately 400 nm (4 x 10-7 m) to 700 nm (7 x 10-7 m). It is also known as the optical spectrum of light. The wavelength (which is related to frequency and energy) of the light determines the perceived color. Since sunlight consists of light with the range of visible light frequencies, it appears white. Light from the sun or a light bulb may look white, but it is actually a combination of many colors. We can see the different colors of the spectrum by splitting the light with a prism. The spectrum is also visible when you see a rainbow in the sky.

This white light is incident towards Earth and illuminates both our outdoor (outside) world and the atmosphere that surrounds our planet.

The interaction of visible light with matter will often result in the Absorption of specific frequencies of light. The frequencies of visible light that are not absorbed are either transmitted (by transparent materials) or reflected (by opaque materials). So if we consider a green leaf on a tree, the atoms of the chlorophyll molecules in the leaf are absorbing most of the frequencies of visible light (except for green) and reflecting the green light to our eyes. The leaf thus appears green. And as we view the black asphalt street, the atoms of the asphalt are absorbing all the frequencies of visible light and no light is reflected to our eyes. The asphalt street thus appears black (the absence of color). In this manner, the interaction of sunlight with matter contributes to the color appearance of our surrounding world. We will focus on the interaction of sunlight with atmospheric particles to produce blue skies and red sunsets. We will attempt to answer these two questions:

Why are the skies blue? Why are the sunsets red?

The interaction of sunlight with matter can result in one of three wave behaviors: absorption, transmission, and reflection. The atmosphere is a gaseous sea that contains a variety of types of particles; Two most common types of matter: Gaseous nitrogen (78%) Oxygen (21%) Next most common matter: Argon gas and water (in the form of vapor, droplets and ice crystals) There are also small amounts of other gases, plus many small solid particles, like dust, soot and ashes, pollen, and salt from the oceans. Gaseous nitrogen and Oxygen: These particles are most effective in scattering the higher frequency and shorter wavelength portions of the visible light spectrum. This scattering process involves the absorption of a light wave by an atom followed by reemission of a light wave in a variety of directions. The amount of multidirectional scattering that occurs is dependent upon the frequency of the light. (In fact, it varies according to f4.) Atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen scatter violet light most easily, followed by blue light, green light, etc. So as white light (ROYGBIV) from the sun passes through our atmosphere, the high frequencies (BIV) become scattered by atmospheric particles while the lower frequencies (ROY) are most likely to pass through the atmosphere without a significant alteration in their direction. This scattering of the higher frequencies of light illuminates (lights up) the skies with light on the BIV end of the visible spectrum. Compared to blue light, violet light is most easily scattered by atmospheric particles. However, our eyes are more sensitive to light with blue frequencies. Thus, we view the skies as being blue in color.

Meanwhile, the light that is not scattered is able to pass through our atmosphere and reach our eyes in a rather non-interrupted path. The lower frequencies of sunlight (ROY) tend to reach our eyes as we sight directly at the sun during midday. While sunlight consists of the entire range of frequencies of visible light, not all frequencies are equally intense. In fact, sunlight tends to be most rich with yellow light frequencies. For these reasons, the sun appears yellow during midday due to the direct passage of dominant amounts of yellow frequencies through our atmosphere and to our eyes.