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Waves in Matter

What our eyes detect, and light as an electromagnetic wave

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 4

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.

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Key term

Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum can the human eye detect?

Key term

Roughly how much of the whole electromagnetic spectrum can we see?

Key term

How can infrared radiation be detected if the eye cannot see it?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 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. 2

    Which colour lies at the long wavelength edge of what the eye can see?

    Model answer

    Red.

  3. 3

    Which colour lies at the short wavelength edge of what the eye can see?

    Model answer

    Violet.

  4. 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. 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. 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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