Light and Energy Interaction

Energy and Light

• The movement of energy can be tracked by observing the changes it causes to matter.
• Light carries energy that causes materials to change.
• When light hits a material, the material can absorb energy from the light, causing it to change.

Light and Materials

• Different types of light can change a material in different ways.
• A material absorbs energy from some types of light and not others.
• When a light wave hits a material, the light can be absorbed by the material, transmitted through the material, or reflected off the material.
• A material transmits or reflects some types of light and not others.

Properties of Light

• Light travels in a straight line.
• Different types of light have different wavelengths.
• A light source can emit more than one type of light.

Vocabulary Definitions

Amplitude

• The maximum height of a wave

Energy

• The ability to make things move or change

Frequency

• The number of peaks of a wave that pass in a second

Light

• A type of wave that carries energy from one place to another, even through empty space

Light Source

• An object that emits light

Molecule

• A group of atoms joined together in a particular way

Rate

• How often or fast something happens

Reflect

• To bounce off without being absorbed

Spectrum

• A range of wavelengths

Ultraviolet

• A type of light that is beyond violet on the light spectrum

Visualize

• To form a mental picture of something that cannot be seen

Wave

• A type of energy that is transferred from one place to another

Waveform

• A curved line that shows the characteristics of a wave

Wavelength

• The distance from one peak of a wave to the next