Light interactions with materials
What happens when light hits a mirror?
All light is reflected
Name one way light can interact with matter.
Reflect, transmit, refract, or absorb
What part of the eye helps you focus?
Lens
What changes can make an object stand out?
Increase or decrease the amount of light
How does light travel to your eyes?
The light needs to reflect off of whatever we are looking at first and then go into our eyes
Define reflect, transmit, and refract
Reflect: Light bounces off
Transmit: Light goes through
Refract: Light bends through a transparent object
What is the cornea's role in vision?
It helps maintain the shape of the eye and provide a layer of protection (it doesn't actually help us see)
How does light travel?
In a straight line
Why do some objects appear brighter than others?
The object we see brighter has more light reflecting off of it and the amount of light traveling to the eye is stronger
Give an example of a material that transmits light.
Window, glass, etc.
After passing through the cornea, light rays pass through this
What is the pupil
Describe how light interacts with a window.
Most light transmits but some light will reflect
Name two ways light can interact with objects.
Reflect, transmit, refract
Describe what happens when light hits an opaque object.
Light is absorbed or reflected, none is transmitted
What is the function of the retina?
It processes the light that enters our eye and generates electrical signals
Explain why you can see your reflection in a glass window.
Some light is still reflected giving you the ability to see yourself (the light reflects off of you, then the window, most light transmits but some still reflects into your eyes)
Explain how light can be absorbed.
Light is not white, it is all colors. All colors are absorbed except the color that we see
Explain how light travels to allow us to see cars through a window.
Light reflects off the cars, enters the window, and then passes through the pupil and lens, goes to the retina, signals are generated that go to the brain
Describe the path of light from entering the eye to reaching the brain.
Pupil -> Iris changes pupil -> Lens focuses -> Retina receives light -> Retina generates electric signals -> Optic nerve sends signals to brain -> Brain process the signals to make an image
How does light enable us to see?
The light reflects off an object and then into our eyes