Topic 6 Colours & Wavelenghts Flashcards
Describe Sir Isaac Newtons’ Experiment with the Visible Light Spectrum
He held a prism up to a thin beam of light that was entering his work room. The prism refracted the white light into its component colours.
Visible Light spectrum
White light is made up of a rainbow of colours we call the visible light spectrum.
Primary colors of the Visible Light Spectrum
Red, Blue, Green
How is a colour of an object determined?
Determined by which colour of light that reflects off of its surface when it is struck by white light.
The retina of your eye contains two types of specialized light receptor cells (which are…)
Rods and Cones
These receptors (Rods and Cones) are responsible for…
Responsible for receiving light input and converting it into an electrical signal that is sent to the brain for processing.
Define Rods
Most abundant light receptor cells in the retina, they are activated in low light levels, allowing us to see when conditions are dark.
Rods are monochromatic, meaning they are only able to send black and white images to the brain. This is why we see less colour in the dark!
What are the three types of cones?
Blue, green, and red cones
What is each cone activated by?
Activated by a range of the visible light spectrum. The colours that these cones absorb roughly align to blue, green and red light
Wave model of light
Light traveling as a wave
(Wavelength Terminology), Define Crests
High parts of the wave
(Wavelength Terminology), Define Troughs
Low parts of the wave
(Wavelength Terminology) The distance from crest to crest are called…
wavelengths
(Wavelength Terminology) Define Amplitude
The height of the crest or the depth of the trough from rest position
(Wavelength Terminology) Define The Frequency
The Frequency is the rate at which the crest and the trough move up and down.
(Wavelength Terminology) Define hertz
The number of cycles in a period of time - which is usually measured in hertz, or cycles per second.
Diffusion of Light
Light that is filtered by something
