Optics Review

Question 1

What is a light wave?

Answer 1

A wave of electric and magnetic fields

Question 2

What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

Answer 2

It consists of all the different wave lengths of electromagnetic radiation

Question 3

What are the types of radiation from low to high energy?

Answer 3

Radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma rays

Question 4

Examples of radio waves

Answer 4

Radio, TV signal, cell phone, radar

Question 5

Examples of microwaves

Answer 5

Telecommunications, microwave ovens

Question 6

Examples of infrared light

Answer 6

Remote control, lasers, heat detection

Question 7

Examples of visible light

Answer 7

Human vision, rainbows, visible lasers

Question 8

Examples of ultraviolet light

Answer 8

UV lasers, “black” light

Question 9

Examples of x-rays

Answer 9

Medical imaging, cancer treatment, security equipment

Question 10

Examples of gamma rays

Answer 10

Cancer treatment

Question 11

What does SALT stand for?

Answer 11

Size, Attitude, Location, Type

Question 12

What is regular (specular) reflection of light?

Answer 12

On shiny surfaces, light reflects following law of reflection, a clear image is seen

Question 13

What is diffuse reflection of light?

Answer 13

On rough surfaces, the reflection of waves becomes irregular. Light spreads and no clear image forms

Question 14

Colours that make up visible spectrum, low to high

Answer 14

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet

Question 15

What are the two kinds of light sources?

Answer 15

Luminous- object gives off own light, Non-Luminous- object doesn’t give off own light

Question 16

What are the luminous sources of light?

Answer 16

Incandescence, Fluorescence, Phosphoresence, Chemiluminescence, Triboluminesence

Question 17

Incandescence

Answer 17

Light given off due to high temperature

Question 18

Fluorescence

Answer 18

Chemical gives off light when hit by invisible high energy light waves

Question 19

Phosphoresence

Answer 19

Chemical gives off light when hit by high energy light waves and stay luminous for long time

Question 20

Chemiluminescence

Answer 20

Chemical reactions that give off light with next to no heat

Question 21

Bioluminescence

Answer 21

When living things produce light

Question 22

Triboluminescence

Answer 22

When certain crystals (sugar) are scratched, crushed, or rubbed, light is produced

Question 23

LASERS

Answer 23

Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation: light is very intense and the same colour, beam stays together

Question 24

What is refraction?

Answer 24

When a light wave travels from one transparent medium into another, the velocity of the light waves change

Question 25

Index of Refraction

Answer 25

n=c/v, c- speed of light in vacuum, v- speed of light in medium. c= 3.0x10^8m/s

Question 26

Law of Refraction

Answer 26

When going from fast to slow, the ray will bend toward the normal, when going from slow to fast, the ray will bend away from the normal

Question 27

Snells Law

Answer 27

n1 sin theta1 = n2 sin theta2

Question 28

Total Internal Reflection

Answer 28

When a wave travels from slow to fast at a large angle of incidence, the wave can be trapped in the slow medium

Question 29

What are some uses of Total Internal Reflection?

Answer 29

Periscope, Binoculars, Bike reflectors

Question 30

What is the critical angle and how do you calculate it?

Answer 30

The angle of incidence that results in an angle of refraction 90 degrees to the normal. n1 sin thetaC = n2 sin90

Question 31

What is a Lens?

Answer 31

A thin transparent piece of glass or plastic that has at least one curved side.

Question 32

What are the four different types of lenses?

Answer 32

Biconvex, Biconcave, Plano convex, Plano concave

Question 33

What are the two basic lens types?

Answer 33

Converging and diverging