Home > Subjects > Science > Level 2 > 2.9 Light > Subject content
- Subject: Science
- AS: AS90768
- Level: 2
- Credits: 4
- External
Science 2.9 Use physics concepts and principles to describe the behaviour of light
Subject content
Make sure you have up-to-date course notes and don’t forget to use them. If you haven't got them see your teacher.
The physics concepts and principles of light that you will be tested on will include:
- the way light travels in straight lines
- reflection from plane and spherical mirrors,
- refraction, where one medium is air, at straight boundaries and spherical lenses
- total internal reflection
- critical angle (qualitative)
- visible spectrum as part of electromagnetic radiation,
- refraction of light through a prism to form a spectrum
- absorption, reflection, and transmission of colour
- primary colours and colour mixing.
Learn about refraction of light. View the interactive applet that demonstrates reflection and refraction of waves (called the Huygens principle).
The context where you may learn about these concepts could include mirrors, optical glasses, binoculars, telescopes, cameras, microscopes, and the eye.
It is expected that you can use ray diagrams to determine the nature, position, and size of images.
Check out this site that explores images in the world of optics and microscopy.
The formulae may include:
SiSo = f2
W = Fd
p = mv
EP = mgDh
F = kx
