Types of Light Sources and Production

Objects that emit their own light, such as the Sun or a light bulb.

Objects that do not emit light but reflect light from luminous sources, like the Moon.

Light produced by heating an object to a high temperature, like the filament in a light bulb.

Light produced when electricity passes through a gas, seen in neon lights and lightning.

Light emitted slowly after absorbing ultraviolet (UV) light, like glow-in-the-dark stickers.

Immediate light emission when a material absorbs UV light, like fluorescent lamps.

Light produced by a chemical reaction without heat, like in glow sticks.

Light produced by friction or scratching/crushing crystals, like when you crush sugar.

Light produced by living organisms through chemical reactions, like fireflies and jellyfish.

Efficient light produced by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor.

Light travels in straight lines, not in curves or zigzags.

Light can bounce off surfaces, like mirrors, or bend when it passes from one medium to another.

Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, along with radio waves, microwaves, and X-rays.

Light travels at a very fast speed in a vacuum, approximately 300,000 km/s.

The arrangement of different types of electromagnetic radiation based on their wavelengths, from longest to shortest.

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with colors ranging from red (longest wavelength) to violet (shortest wavelength).

The clear outer layer of the eye that focuses light entering the eye.

The lens inside the eye that fine-tunes focus by refracting light.

The light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that detects light and converts it to signals for the brain.

The opening in the eye that controls the amount of light entering the eye.

The nerve that sends signals from the retina to the brain, allowing us to see.

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, due to a change in speed.

When light enters a denser medium, it slows down and bends towards the normal line.

When light enters a less dense medium, it speeds up and bends away from the normal line.

A measure of how much light bends when it enters a medium, calculated by dividing the speed of light in a vacuum by the speed of light in the medium.

A formula that relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the index of refraction of two mediums.

Reflection where light bounces off a smooth surface in one direction, like a mirror.

Reflection where light bounces off a rough surface in many directions, like paper.

A mirror that curves inward, converging light rays to a focal point.

A mirror that curves outward, spreading light rays outwards.

A lens that curves outward, converging light rays to a focal point.

A lens that curves inward, spreading light rays outwards.