Light Pioneers
(Difficulty:HARD)
(Difficulty:HARD)
This scientist showed that light can act like both a wave and a particle. He won a Nobel Prize for his work on the photoelectric effect.
(hint: his name starts with an A)
Albert Einstein
This type of light wave has the longest wavelength and is used for communication, like in radio and TV signals.
radio waves
Light travels in this type of wave, which doesn’t require a medium like air or water to move through.
electromagnetic waves
This scientist discovered that light travels in straight lines and helped explain how mirrors work.
Euclid
This type of light wave is just beyond visible light and is used in remote controls and night vision goggles.
infrared waves
This is the term for how light travels through space at an incredibly fast speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second.
speed of light
This scientist developed the theory that light travels in waves and explained how light behaves when it hits different materials.
Thomas Young
This type of light wave is used to kill bacteria and can be harmful to skin, like the rays from the sun that cause cancer.
ultraviolet waves
When light moves from air into water, it slows down and bends. This bending is called this.
refraction
This scientist created the first complete theory of electromagnetism, showing that light is an electromagnetic wave
James Clerk Maxwell
These light waves are the only ones we can see with our eyes, and they make up the colors of the rainbow.
visible light waves
This type of wave is responsible for moving light energy from the Sun to Earth across the vacuum of space.
electromagnetic waves
This scientist is famous for his work with light and is known for developing the theory of color, showing that white light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow.
Isaac Newton
These light waves have extremely short wavelengths and can pass through the human body, often used in medical imaging like X-rays.
X-rays
When light changes direction after hitting a surface, this process is known as this.
reflection