Light and Vision
UNIT 05
Grade 6
SAWDA ZAMZAM
BSc (USJP)
5.1 How Do We Get Vision?
Activity 5.1 - Investigating the factors required for vision
Activity 5.2 - Investigating other factors required for
vision.
Light Sources
Objects that emit light are called light sources.
Example:
• The Sun, which is the main light source.
• Artificial light sources like bulbs, lamps, and candles.
• Natural light sources like the moon and stars.
Objects that produce and emit their own light are called Luminous Objects.
Examples:
• Natural objects like the Sun and stars.
• Artificial objects like a lit electric bulb and a lit candle.
• Organisms like fireflies and glow-worms.
• Various types of light-emitting mushrooms.
Objects that do not produce their own light are called Non-Luminous
Objects.
Examples:
• Natural objects like the moon and planets. (The moon appears as an
illuminated object to us because sunlight falls on its surface.
Therefore, even though it appears illuminated, the moon is not a
luminous object.)
• Artificial objects like an unlit bulb, pen, pencil, chair, table, and bed.
• Organisms like humans, dogs, and plants.
Activity 5.3 Transmission of Light through Objects
• Transparent Materials: Materials through which light travels
systematically.
Examples: Colorless glass, transparent colorless polythene, pure
colorless water, air.
• Translucent Materials: Materials through which light travels
unsystematically/partially.
Examples: Tissue paper, tracing paper, frosted/floral glass, colored
polythene, muddy water, soft drinks.
• Opaque Materials: Materials through which light does not travel at all.
Examples: Black paper, cardboard, wood, metals, paper, tar, treacle,
burnt engine oil, thick colored plastic.
Light Rays and Light Beams
The narrow path in which light is transmitted known as a Light Ray.
A collection of many light rays forms a Light Beam.
Activity 5.6,5.7 & Activity 5.8
Applications of Light
• Photosynthesis: Food production in plants.
• Providing vision: Humans initially obtained light from natural objects like the
Sun, Moon, and stars, and later generated artificial light after discovering fire.
• Illumination: To light up festivals, crowded streets, shops, and shopping
complexes for advertising.
• As signals: In lighthouses and traffic lights (red light is often a signal indicating
danger).
• For communication purposes: Transmitting messages via optical fibers
• In the medical field: Using laser beams in surgeries like cataract removal, heart
surgeries, and treating stomach ulcers. Using endoscopes via optical fiber
technology to observe the inside of the body during medical examinations.
• Providing entertainment: Illuminating musical shows, carnivals, theater stages
with colored and moving light streams, and light-emitting toys for children.
Textbook Exercises and Answers
• 01. Choose the correct answer from the given options.
i. Which of the following statements is correct?
• The moon is a luminous object.
• The Sun is a light source.
• Planets are non-luminous objects.
ii. The correct statement of the followings is,
• a. Water, glass and decorative glass are transparent.
• b. Water, polythene and oil papers are translucent.
• c. Oil papers, decorative glass and colourless polythene are transparent.
• d. Cardboards, metal and papers are opaque.
Answer:
• The correct option is d. Cardboards, metal and papers are opaque.
Here is why the other options are incorrect:
• a is incorrect because decorative glass is translucent, not transparent.
• b is incorrect because pure water is transparent, not translucent.
• c is incorrect because oil papers and decorative glass are translucent materials.
iii. Why can we see a light ray travelling through the roof of a kitchen which is filled
with smoke?
a. Because the kitchen becomes translucent when filled with smoke.
b. b. Because the kitchen becomes transparent when filled with smoke.
c. c. Because light transmits through air. d. Because smoke absorbs light.
Answer:
The correct option is a.
Because the kitchen becomes translucent when filled with smoke.
02. Fill in the blanks selecting suitable words from the brackets.
(Arrowhead, Energy, Sunlight, Opaque, Transparent, Straight line, Signals, Light)
Light is a form of energy. It travels in a straight-line path. Light does not travel
through some materials. Such materials are known as opaque materials. We use an
arrowhead to indicate the direction in which a light ray travels. In many road signs,
light is used to gain more attention.
03. Identify the following sentences in one or two words.
i. Objects that produce their own light - Luminous objects
ii. Objects that do not produce their own light - Non-luminous
objects
iii. Materials that allow light to pass through and allow objects
on the other side to be seen clearly - Transparent materials
iv. Materials that allow light to pass through but objects on the
other side cannot be seen clearly - Translucent materials
v. A collection of many light rays - Beam of light