Conceptual Physics Chapter 28: Color

Spectrum

For sunlight and other white light, the spread of colors seen when the light s passed through a prism or diffraction grating. In general, the spread of radiation by frequency, so that each frequency appears at a different position.

White Light

Light, such as sunlight, that is a combination of all the colors. Under white light, white objects appear white and colored objects appear in their individual colors.

Pigment

A material that selectively absorbs colored light.

Additive Primary Colors

Red blue and green light. These colors when added produce white light.

Complementary Colors

Two colors of light beams that when added together appear white.

Subtractive Primary Colors

The colors of magneta, yellow, and cyan. These are the three colors most useful in color mixing by subtraction.

Scattering

A process in which sound or light is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions.

Excited State

A state with greater energy than an atom's lowest state.

Spectroscope

An instrument used to separate the light from a hot gas or other light source into its constituent frequencies.

Line Spectrum

A pattern of distinct lines of color corresponding to particular wave lengths, that are seen in a spectroscope when a hot gas is viewed.

Origin of Color

Origin of color is from the frequencies of light emitted or reflected by things.

Perception of color depends on....

They eye-brain system, the eye of the be holder.

Newton's First Attempt

A narrow beam of light passed through a prism which caused the white light to separate into the colors of the rainbow.

Color Order of the Spectrum (from low freq. to high)

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet

Black and White (real colors?)

Not real colors. White is a combination of all colors and black is the absence of color

Light in Transparent Materials

Light that is not absorbed is reemitted and passes through the material.

Opaque Materials

Reemitted light is reflected )passes back into the medium from which is came).

White Objects Reflect........

All Frequencies

Black Objects Reflect........

None

An Object as "Red

We see an object as red when it reflects red light.

Candlelight

Low in the higher frequencies (blue/violet) so it is yellowish.

Incandescent

Emits all visible frequencies but is richer in lower frequencies (red).

Fluorescent

Is richer in higher frequencies, (blue/violet).

Color of a Transparent Object

Color of a _____ object depends on the color of light it transmits.

Blue Glass 'Blue

Blue glass is blue because it absorbs all frequencies except blue. Blue light is transmitted through the glass.

Red Light Makes the Leaves Warmer

The petals reflect the red light and the green leaves absorb the red light causing the leaves to become warmer. (light energy is changed to heat energy in the leaves)

Green Light Black Rose Petals

The petals reflect only red light, they will absorb green light. If the green light is shining, there is no color to reflect and the petals will look black.

White Light From the Sun

White light is a composite (total) off all the visible frequencies.

Radiation curve" of Sunlight

Brightness of frequencies from the sun is uneven. Red and violet not as bright as the middle-range of frequencies (the yellow-green region).

Result of Visible Frequencies

White

Mixing Red, Green, and Blue Light

White

Red and Blue

Magenta

Red and Green

Yellow

Green and Blue

Cyan

Television Uses Additive Primary Colors

Red, blue, and green dots are lit in different combinations to produce all the different colors and white.

Magenta Complementary

Green

Cyan Complementary

Red

White - Specific Color

You get the complementary color.

White - Blue

Yellow

Paints and Dyes

They contain pigments that absorb light of certain range of frequencies and reflect light of other ranges of frequencies. (Pigments reflect a mixture of colors).

Primary Paint Colors

Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Mixing by Subtraction

Magenta, Yellow, Cyan. These are Subtractive primary colors.

Scattered Tiny Particles

________ particles in the air scatter high (blue/violet) frequencies of light.

Scattered Large Particles

________ particles in the air scatter low (red) frequencies of light.

Why the Sky is Blue

The tiny particles in the upper atmosphere (nitrogen and oxygen) scatter (reemit in all directs) the high frequencies (blue/violet). Our eyes are more sensitive to blue so we see the sky as blue.

Sky on the Moon Black

There are no molecules in the atmosphere of the moon to scatter the light so the sky is black.

Cloud White

Different sizes of water droplets cause all different frequencies to be scattered and all frequencies = white.

Sunsets Red

Sunlight reaches us through a longer path through the atmosphere at sunset. As light passes through this thicker atmosphere, light of the lower frequencies is transmitted (red) while light of the higher frequencies (blue/violet) is scattered.

Water is Greenish Blue

Water molecules absorb red and reflect cyan.

Glowing Red Neon Glass

The _____ light from glowing neon glass has a mixture of frequencies that are specific to neon. Neon has its own "fingerprint" of frequencies.

Atomic Spectra the "fingerprints" of Atoms

Light from each different element produces its own characteristics pattern of lines.

Color Blindness

Is a result of defective cones in the retina of the eye,

Cones

React to different frequencies, there is a cone for each color.

Rods

Opens the eye up from light to from dark, gray scale.

Colors of the Object

The color of the object depends on the light source. Or is due to they way the colors reflect light.

Color Mixing by Subtraction

Is the way pains and dyes get their color.

Color Mixing by Addition

Is the way light gets its color.

Smaller Particle Size

The higher the frequency scattered.

Violet Light

Is scattered more than blue but our eyes are not very sensitive to violet light.

Larger Particles

Scatter lower frequencies.

Sunrise and Sunset

Travels a longer path through the atmosphere.

True Ocean Color

Cyan

Water

Is transparent to almost all the frequencies of light.

Water Molecules

Resonate somewhat to the to the visible-red frequencies. This causes a gradual absorption of red light by water.

Electron

have well-defined energy levels--- lower energy near the atomic nucleus and higher energy farther from the nucleus.

Momentary

Excited state is only momentary, for the electron is quickly drawn back from its original or a lower level.

Electron Transit

The atom emits emits a pulse of light-- a photon.

Electrons release energy

in the form of light.

Continuous Spectrum

From an Incandescent bulb.

Line Spectra

comes from different elements.

Chemist

Use the line spectra to identify an element just a finger print is used to identify a person.

Atomic Composition

Of the sun and distant galaxies can be determined by examining the line spectra.

Longest Wave Color

Red

Highest Frequency of Color Visible

Violet

Violet Light

Although this frequency of light is scattered more than blue light, our eyes see the sky as blue because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light.

Oxygen and Nitrogen Molecules

Larger particles of these substances produce a whitish sky.

Red Light

Is scattered the least as it passes through the atmosphere.

Spectrum Emitted

The spectrum emitted by an element can be used to identify the element.

Candlelight

Emits light in the lower frequency range of colors.

Smaller Particle

The smaller the particle in the atmosphere, the higher the frequency of light it scatters.

Blue Sky

The sky appears blue because particles in the atmosphere scatter high-frequency light.

Sunset

Only lower-frequency light strike earth