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UNIT 8: LIGHT AND SOUND - REVIEW

Light
Key Words
Source
Natural
Dark / Darkness
Reflecting / Reflection
Shiny
Mirror
Straight Lines

Shadows
Block
Transparent
Translucent
Opaque

Key Concepts
What is light?
Light is a form of energy.
We know that it is energy because:
- It causes changes in living things.
- It can transform into other forms of energy.

Light Sources
Light sources are objects that emit light.
- Natural light sources: the Sun, Stars, Fire, Fireflies...
- Artificial light sources: Electric Light bulb, Television screen...
NOT Light Sources
Other objects REFLECT light from one of the light sources
Moon reflects sunlight
Shiny objects reflect sunlight / light bulb
Mirrors reflect sunlight / light bulb

Properties of Light

Always travels in a straight line

Travels in all directions (in straight lines) from the light source
Travels very fast: 300,000 kilometres per second

Seeing
Light can travel directly from the light source into your eyes
Or
Light can bounce off an object (for example, a ball) and then travel into your
eyes

Shadows
Shadow are formed when an object BLOCKS the light.
The more DIRECTLY overhead the light source, the SHORTER the shadow
The LOWER the light source, the LONGER the shadow. (Think of the sun in the
morning or evening.)

The CLOSER an object is to the light source, the BIGGER the shadow
The FURTHER AWAY from the light source, the SMALLER the shadow

Shadows & the Sun

Shadows formed by the sun are LONGER in the morning and afternoon and
SHORTER in the middle of the day.
(The sun appears to be lower in the sky in the morning and afternoon than at
noon when it appears overhead. )
Shadows are formed on the opposite side of the object from the sun and move
round the object during the daytime.

Materials and Light

Different materials let different amounts of light pass through
Transparent materials allow all light to pass through (Example: glass)
Translucent materials allow some light to pass through (Example: lamp
shade)
Opaque materials do NOT allow light to pass through wood

Light and Colour

Light energy travels in WAVES, and the waves can have different
LENGTHS.
Our eyes perceive the different WAVELENGTHS of light as different
COLOURS.

White light is made up of MANY colours of light.

When light shines on an object, the object ABSORBS some colours of
light and REFLECTS the others.
We see the objects colour as the colour of the REFLECTED light.

Reflection
Reflection occurs when light hits an object and BOUNCES OFF.
We can see an object when it reflects light into our eyes.

Mirrors
Mirrors are shiny, polished, opaque objects that reflect light without
separating or scattering the light rays.
Mirrors reflect light at the SAME angle as the light hits it

MIRROR

If a mirror is concave or convex, you will see a distorted image. (Think of a

spoon, a circus mirror, or a make-up mirror).

Refraction
Refraction is a change in the direction of light that occurs when light passes
from one transparent material to another.
Example: a PRISM: the white light is refracted and separated into the
different colours of light.
Other examples: straw in a glass of water, rainbow, lenses

Lenses
A lens is a transparent piece of curved glass or
plastic that refracts light.
A converging (convex) lens makes light rays
come together. It makes objects look
BIGGER.
A diverging (concave) lens makes light rays
separate. It makes objects look SMALLER.

Lenses have many uses. (See PAGE 85 in your book).

Sound
Key Words
Sound
Waves Echo Reverberation
Vibrating / Vibrations
Ear Drum

Intensity
Hard Loud Soft Quiet
Pitch High Low
Timbre
Quality

Key Concepts
Sound Energy
Sound is a form of kinetic energy.
We know it is energy because it can cause changes in objects

Characteristics of Sound
Sound is created by something VIBRATING
Sound travels in WAVES through substances.
Sound CAN travel through: liquids, solid & gases
Sound CANNOT travel though: a vacuum nothing to vibrate - Example:
space
Sound travels much slower than light. (We see lightening before we hear it).
- It travels 340 metres/ second in air (but faster in other substances)
Sound travels in a straight line and in all directions.

Echos and Reverberations

Sound can be reflected (It can bounce off of things.)
When a sound bounces off an obstacle and comes back it is called an
ECHO. (The original sound and the echo are clearly different.)
When a sound bounces off an object that is very close and the reflected
and original sounds mix, it is called REVERBERATION.

Hearing
Object Vibrates

Air Vibrates

Ear Drum Vibrates

Our brain uses nerves to pick up the vibrations of the ear drum and interprets
them.

Intensity
A sounds intensity depends on how much energy the sound wave has.
- HARD bang on drum = a lot of energy = LOUD noise
- SOFT bang on drum = a little energy = QUIET noise

Pitch
Pitch is how high or low a note is (NOT loud or quiet).
The BIGGER/LONGER the vibrating object, the LOWER the pitch (note)
The SMALLER/SHORTER, the vibrating object the HIGHER the pitch
Big drum = low note
Small drum = high note
NOTE: Sometimes it is the air that is vibrating, not the object so the pitch
depends on how much air is vibrating
Big amount of air = low note
Small amount of air = high note
In stringed instruments: the TIGHTER the string, the HIGHER the pitch.

Timbre
Timbre is the quality of a sound. It is what lets you differentiate between
instruments, for example.