Go to the Physics website to begin studying The Nature of Light
.
Read Content Focus and Biblical Perspective.
We will answer the question: What is light?
Engage
Click Electromagnetic Spectrum
.
Watch "Stick Figure Lightsaber Fight" (23 sec).
Reflect about the nature of light: Why won't Lightsabers in Star Wars work?
Question: What is light made of? {Write down your response.)
Explore
Go through Slides 1 - 7.
Unpack the problem of light: Find a graphic that shows the electromagnetic spectrum. Make sure it is one that goes from left to right with increasing energy.
How fast do electromagnetic waves (including visible light) travel in a vacuum?
Explain
Solve the problem: Measure the speed of light using a microwave oven. Slide 8.
Answer questions using the Wave Equation about EM radiation, visible light, EM frequencies and ionising radiation.
Write out Worked Examples 1 to 5 (Slides 9 - 13).
Watch "What is light?" (2:49)
Explicit Strategies for Differentiation
If you are having difficulties and want some help in understanding these concepts, go to Review Questions
and complete the Review Activity.
Elaborate
Make connections of this concept with yourself, with other concepts, with other people, with the universe in general and with the Lord God.
Write out Worked Examples 6 and 7 (Slides 18 and 19).
Complete Exercise Set 1 Q. 1-4
Find some animated gifs or graphics to show the transmission of light (Slides 20 - 22).
Discover the emission and absorption spectra (Slides 23 - 26).
Use diffraction gratings to show a pattern of interference (Slides 27 - 28).
Write out Worked Examples 8 to 15 (Slides 29 and 36).
Complete Exercise Set 1 Q. 5-8.
Extension (Optional)
Go to Guided Reading for Nature of Light
. Read and summarise the following articles:
Read about James Clerk Maxwell (Slides 14 - 17)
"The Light Motif in the Bible" by A. D. Macaulay (2017).
Read Space Awareness (2020) - Global Warming of the Atmosphere. This is useful for your Depth Study later in this Module.
Download "The Evening Sky Map". Follow the instructions to find stars at night. Find the Southern Cross and Pointers. See if you can find Antares, Betelgeuse, Canopus and Sirius. For each star, identify what type of star it is.
Evaluate
Complete Skills Task 1 – Electromagnetic Spectrum and submit it for marking.
What evidence supports the classical wave model of light and what predictions can be made using this model?
Engage
Go to the Physics website Light: Wave Model
.
Watch "Is light a particle or a wave?" (4:23)
Explore
Go through Worked Examples 1-6 (The Wave Model of Light PPT Slides 1-28)
Explain
Watch and take notes on "Physics - Newton's Corpuscular Theory" (3:54)
Watch and take notes on "Science 8 Light and Optical Systems" (6:13)
Watch and take notes on "Down the Rabbit Hole of the Double Slit Experiment" (6:40)
Watch and take notes on "dsinθ=mλ Derivation" (7:55)
Explicit Strategies for Differentiation
If you are having difficulties and want some help in understanding these concepts, go to Review Questions
and complete the Review Activity.
Elaborate
Complete Exercise Set 2 and check your answers with the answers in the textbook.
Extension (Optional)
Go to Guided Reading for Nature of Light
. Read and summarise the following articles:
"Weyl phononic crystal negatively reflects sound waves"
"Spectrometry and Spectroscopy: What's the difference?"
Evaluate
Complete Skills Task 2 and submit for marking.
What evidence supports the particle model of light and what are the implications of this evidence for the development of the quantum model of light?
Engage
Go to the Physics website Light: Quantum Model
.
Watch
(2:35)
Explore
Go through Worked Examples 1-5 (Light: Quantum Model PPT Slides 1-22)
Explain
Watch and take notes on "The Double Slit Experiment" (4:22)
Watch and take notes on "Albert Einstein: Why Light is Quantum" (1:18)
Watch and take notes on "The Photoelectric Effect - Mr Mac" (4:36)
Read the text: Shadwick, B., 2018, Surfing NSW Physics 7&8, Marrickville, NSW, Science Press, pp. 57-59.
Explicit Strategies for Differentiation
If you are having difficulties and want some help in understanding these concepts, go to Review Questions
and complete the Review Activity.
Elaborate
Complete Exercise Set 3 and check your answers with the textbook.
Extension (Optional)
Go to Guided Reading for Nature of Light. Read and summarise the following articles:
"How do we know what stars like our Sun are made of?"
"The first picture of a black hole opens up a new era of astrophysics"
Evaluate
Compete Skills Task 3 and submit for marking.
How does the behaviour of light affect concepts of time, space and matter?
Engage
Go to the Physics Website Light and special relativity.
Watch
Animation of MC Escher's Relativity
(1:05)
Also this will get your head spinning!
(2:38)
Are you ready for Einstein's theory of special relativity?
Explore
Go through Worked Examples 1-12 (Light and special relativity PPT Slides 1-48)
Explain
Watch and take notes on "Time Dilation - Einstein's Theory" (8:14)
Watch and take notes on "Einstein's Theory of Relativity Made Easy" (8:29)
Watch and take notes on "Complete Solution to the Twins Paradox" (3:33)
Watch and take notes on "How Does the Large Hadron Collider Work" (5:02)
Watch and take notes on "Doppler Effect in Light Waves" (2:11)
Watch and take notes on "Star Velocity, Doppler Effect" (7:07)
Explicit Strategies for Differentiation
If you are having difficulties and want some help in understanding these concepts, go to Review Questions
and complete the Review Activity.
Elaborate
Complete Exercise Set 4 and check your answers with the textbook.
Extension (Optional)
Go to Guided Reading for Nature of Light. Read and summarise the following articles:
"Albert Einstein: a short biography"
"Hedwig Kohn: why a Google Doodle marks the German physicist on her 132nd birthday"
"The first picture of a black hole opens up a new era of astrophysics"
Also, if time permits, explore the controversy raised by Herbert Dingle's book Challenging Modern Physics and the following articles.
Evaluate
Complete Skills Task 4 and submit for marking.
You can evaluate your understanding by going to Review Questions for The Nature of Light
and completing Review Questions and Summary Guide.