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Light / EM Spectrum
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Term | Definition |
---|---|
absorption | in optics, the transfer of light energy to particles of matter |
reflection | the bounding back of a ray of light, sound, or heat when the ray hits a surface that it does not go through |
refraction | the bending of a wave front as the wave front passes between two substances in which the speed of the wave differs |
electromagnetic spectrum | the range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends |
infrared | electromagnetic wavelengths immediately outside the red end of the visible spectrum |
opaque | describes an object that is not transparent or translucent |
electromagnetic radiation | a kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and X-rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously ; the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves |
scattering | an interaction of light with matter that causes light to change direction |
translucent | describes matter that transmits light but that does not transmit an image |
transparent | describes matter that allows light to pass through with little interference |
ultraviolet | electromagnetic wave frequencies immediately above the visible eye |