3/6/2017 TheRoleofLighttoSight

TheRoleofLighttoSight
TheRoleofLighttoSight
TheLineofSight
TheLawofReflection
Specularvs.DiffuseReflection

Thebottomlineis:withoutlight,therewouldbenosight.Thevisualabilityofhumansandother
animalsistheresultofthecomplexinteractionoflight,eyesandbrain.Weareabletosee
becauselightfromanobjectcanmovethroughspaceandreachoureyes.Oncelightreachesoureyes,
signalsaresenttoourbrain,andourbraindecipherstheinformationinordertodetecttheappearance,
locationandmovementoftheobjectswearesightingat.Thewholeprocess,as
complexasitis,wouldnotbepossibleifitwerenotforthepresenceoflight.
Withoutlight,therewouldbenosight.
Ifyouweretoturnofftheroomlightsforamomentandthencoverallthewindows
withblackconstructionpapertopreventanyentryoflightintotheroom,thenyouwouldnoticethat
nothingintheroomwouldbevisible.Therewouldbeobjectspresentthatwerecapableofbeingseen.
Therewouldbeeyespresentthatwouldbecapableofdetectinglightfromthoseobjects.Therewould
beabrainpresentthatwouldbecapableofdecipheringtheinformationsenttoit.Buttherewouldbe
nolight!Theroomandeverythinginitwouldlookblack.Theappearanceofblackismerelyasignof
theabsenceoflight.Whenaroomfullofobjects(oratable,ashirtorasky)looksblack,thenthe
objectsarenotgeneratingnorreflectinglighttoyoureyes.Andwithoutlight,therewouldbenosight.

LuminousversusIlluminatedObjects
Theobjectsthatweseecanbeplacedintooneoftwocategories:luminousobjectsandilluminated
objects.Luminousobjectsareobjectsthatgeneratetheirownlight.Illuminatedobjectsare
objectsthatarecapableofreflectinglighttooureyes.Thesunisanexampleofaluminousobject,
whilethemoonisanilluminatedobject.Duringtheday,thesungeneratessufficientlighttoilluminate
objectsonEarth.Theblueskies,thewhiteclouds,thegreengrass,thecoloredleavesoffall,the
neighbor'shouse,andthecarapproachingtheintersectionareallseenasaresultoflightfromthesun
(theluminousobject)reflectingofftheilluminatedobjectsandtravelingtooureyes.Without
thelightfromtheluminousobjects,theseilluminatedobjectswouldnotbeseen.Duringtheevening
whentheEarthhasrotatedtoapositionwherethelightfromthesuncannolongerreachourpartof
theEarth(duetoitsinabilitytobendaroundthesphericalshapeoftheEarth),objectsonEarthappear
black(oratleastsodarkthatwecouldsaytheyarenearlyblack).Intheabsenceofaporchlightora
streetlight,theneighbor'shousecannolongerbeseenthegrassisnolongergreen,butratherblack
theleavesonthetreesaredarkandwereitnotfortheheadlightsofthecar,itwouldnotbeseen
approachingtheintersection.Withoutluminousobjectsgeneratinglightthatpropagatesthroughspace
toilluminatenonluminousobjects,thosenonluminousobjectscannotbeeseen.Withoutlight,there
wouldbenosight.
AcommonPhysicsdemonstrationinvolvesthedirectingofalaserbeamacrosstheroom.Withthe
roomlightsoff,thelaseristurnedonanditsbeamisdirectedtowardsaplanemirror.Thepresenceof
thelightbeamcannotbedetectedasittravelstowardsthemirror.Furthermore,thelightbeamcannot
bedetectedafterreflectingoffthemirrorandtravelingthroughtheairtowardsawallintheroom.The
onlylocationswherethepresenceofthelightbeamcanbedetectedareatthelocationwhere
thelightbeamstrikesthemirrorandatthelocationwherethelightbeamstrikesawall.Atthesetwo
locations,aportionofthelightinthebeamisreflectingofftheobjects(themirrorandthewall)and
travelingtowardsthestudents'eyes.Andsincethedetectionofobjectsisdependent
uponlighttravelingfromthatobjecttotheeye,thesearetheonlytwolocationswhereonecandetect
thelightbeam.Butinbetweenthelaserandthemirror,thelightbeamcannotbedetected.Thereis
nothingpresentintheregionbetweenthelaserandthemirrorthatiscapableofreflectingthelightof
thebeamtostudents'eyes.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/Lesson1/TheRoleofLighttoSight 1/2
3/6/2017 TheRoleofLighttoSight

Butthenthephenomenaloccurred(asitoftendoesinaPhysicsclass).Amisterisusedtospraywater
intotheairintheregionwherethelightbeamismoving.Smallsuspendeddropletsofwaterarecapable
ofreflectinglightfromthebeamtoyoureye.Itisonlyduetothepresenceofthesuspendedwater
dropletsthatthelightpathfromthelasertothemirrorcouldbedetected.Whenlightfromthelaser(a
luminousobject)strikesthesuspendedwaterdroplets(theilluminatedobject),thelightisreflectedto
students'eyes.Thepathofthelightbeamcannowbeseen.Withlight,therecanbesight.But
withoutlight,therewouldbenosight.
Noneofusgeneratelightinthevisibleregionoftheelectromagneticspectrum.Wearenotbrilliant
objects(pleasetakenooffense)likethesunrather,weareilluminatedobjectslikethemoon.Wemake
ourpresencevisiblyknownbyreflectinglighttotheeyesofthosewholookourway.Itisonly
byreflectionthatwe,aswellasmostoftheotherobjectsinourphysicalworld,canbeseen.And
ifreflectedlightissoessentialtosight,thentheverynatureoflightreflectionisaworthytopicofstudy
amongstudentsofphysics.Andinthislessonandtheseveralthatfollow,wewillundertakeastudyof
thewaylightreflectsoffobjectsandtravelstooureyesinordertoallowustoviewthem.

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