Light: Difference between revisions
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Reflection happens when light is transmitted to a medium, and instead of changing the speed of light, merely returns the light at the same angle with the same amount of energy. | Reflection happens when light is transmitted to a medium, and instead of changing the speed of light, merely returns the light at the same angle with the same amount of energy. | ||
Diffraction is the widening of a light beam that occurs when a given amount of light is projected through a smaller opening. | |||
Revision as of 14:20, 6 June 2007
Light, on a scientific level, can be defined by an amount of electromagnetic radiation given off by an electron within an atom that, having gained energy, returns from a higher valance level to it's natural level. The emission of the excess energy by the return to the lower valence shell produces this electromagnetic radiation. Upon the return to the natural level, a photon is emitted by the electron with very specific properties. Those observable properties determine the qualitative properties of the light.
The behavior of light can generally be classified into four categories:
- refraction
- reflection
- interference
- diffraction
Refraction occurs when the speed of light is reduced at the point of intersection between light and another medium.
Reflection happens when light is transmitted to a medium, and instead of changing the speed of light, merely returns the light at the same angle with the same amount of energy.
Diffraction is the widening of a light beam that occurs when a given amount of light is projected through a smaller opening.