OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics J250
Electricity
Energy
Forces
Global Challenges
Magnetism and Magnetic Fields
Matter
Radioactivity
Waves in Matter
Waves in Matter
What our eyes detect, and light as an electromagnetic wave
- 3 things to know
- Paper 6 (Physics)
Overview
The narrow band of visible light the eye detects and the red and violet at its edges, why infrared and ultraviolet cannot be seen and how a thermal camera reveals infrared, and light as a transverse electromagnetic wave with the same speed as microwaves and a colour set by its wavelength.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Roughly how much of the whole electromagnetic spectrum can we see?
How can infrared radiation be detected if the eye cannot see it?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum can the human eye detect?
Model answer
Only visible light, which is a very narrow band of the whole spectrum.
- 2
Which colour lies at the long wavelength edge of what the eye can see?
Model answer
Red.
- 3
Which colour lies at the short wavelength edge of what the eye can see?
Model answer
Violet.
- 4
Why can the eye not see infrared radiation?
Model answer
Its wavelength is too long, so the light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye do not respond to it.
- 5
Why can the eye not see ultraviolet radiation?
Model answer
Its frequency is too high for the light-sensitive cells of the eye to respond to.
- 6
Roughly how much of the whole electromagnetic spectrum can we see?
Model answer
Only a very small part of it.
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