Chapter 3: The World of Colours and Vision

Have you ever thought about the reason why flowers appear in
different colours, though they are all illuminated by the same light?
Refraction through a Glass Prism
Pass a beam of light from a laser torch through a prism
as shown in figure 3.1.
Have you observed the deviation in the path of light?
•What is the reason for this deviation?
•Identify the faces on which the light ray undergoes
deviation. Depict the path of light ray in your science
diary.
this garden
is so
beautiful!
•Towards which part of the prism does the light ray deviate when
it enters into the prism from air?
•What about when the light ray passes from the prism into air?The World of The World of
Colours and VisionColours and Vision33
BaseWe see all these flowers
in the same light. Still
why do they appear in
different colours?
50
Physics Standard - X
When light ray enters and leaves a prism, it deviates towards the
base of the prism due to refraction.
Why does sunlight split into its component colours
when it passes through a prism?
screen
sunlightDispersion of Light
Let's pass sunlight through a prism instead of laser light.
Using a plane mirror, reflect sunlight onto a white wall. Place a
narrow slit in the path of the sunlight so that only a thin beam of light
passes through it.
Now you can see a white patch of light
on the wall.
Arrange a prism in the path of this beam
so that it falls obliquely on one of its
sides (
•What do you observe?
•Instead of white light, don’t you see
different colours as in a rainbow on
the wall?
You have seen that sunlight splits into different colours. Record in the
science diary the colours in the decreasing order of deviation. Can’t you see
the component colours in the order violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange
and red (VIBGYOR)? This orderly arrangement of the component colours in
white light is called the spectrum.
The World of Colours and Vision51
Colour Approximate
wavelength
(nanometre) nm
Violet (V)380 - 440
Indigo (I) 440 - 460
Blue (B) 460 - 500
Green (G) 500 - 570
Yellow (Y) 570 - 590
Orange (O) 590 - 620
Red (R) 620 - 750
Table 3.1Observe the splitting of sunlight into its component colours when it
passes through a prism as shown in figure 3.4.
•What could be the reason for the deviation
of the light ray?
When light ray passes through a prism, it
deviates at the two faces due to refraction.
•Is this deviation the same for all the colours?
Let's see how this is related to the wavelength
of different colours of light.
Compare the wavelengths of the colours given
in table 3.1.
•Which colour of light has the shortest wavelength? Which has the longest?
•Which colour deviates the most as it passes through a prism? Which has the
least deviation?
•What is the reason for the changes observed in the deviation of colours?
Compare the deviation of colours with their wavelengths.
•How does the deviation of colours change with the increase in the wavelength
as it passes through a prism?
•What are the factors on which the deviation of a ray of light depend?
 Refractive index of the medium
 Wavelength of the colour of light
52
Physics Standard - X
When light passes through a glass prism, it undergoes refraction
at the two refracting faces of the prism. The extent of deviation
depends on the wavelength of light. Red deviates the least because
of its longer wavelength. What about violet, which has a shorter
wavelength? What about the other colours? The wavelength of other
colours lie in between red and violet. Hence their deviation occurs
proportionally and is arranged between red and violet.
Place a small plane mirror slightly inclined in a tray
of water as shown in the figure. Adjust its position
so as to reflect sunlight onto a screen. What do you
observe? Explain based on the dispersion of light.
From the experiments we have done, we can
understand that sunlight is composed of different
colours.
Light composed of different colours is a composite light.
Dispersion of light is the phenomenon of splitting up of a composite
light into its component colours.
Is the rainbow seen in the sky formed by dispersion?
Rainbow
Have you observed a rainbow? Can we create a rainbow artificially?
Spray fine droplets of water into the air when
the sun is shining behind you. What do you
observe? Haven’t you created an artificial
rainbow? Compare the spectrum obtained now
with the colours of the natural rainbow. Identify
the colours you have observed. Note them down
in the science diary. Now spray fine droplets of
water towards the sun. A rainbow is not formed,
is it? A rainbow is always formed in a direction
opposite to the sun. Where will the Sun be when
a rainbow is seen in the east? What about the
position of the Sun when a rainbow is seen in the
west?
The World of Colours and Vision53
Observe figure 3.8.
•When passing through water droplets where do light rays undergo
refraction?
•What happens to the refracted light rays inside the
water droplets?
A ray of sunlight passing through a water droplet
undergoes refraction twice and internal reflection
once. This is a natural phenomenon. A rainbow is
formed as a result of the combined effect of refraction,
dispersion, and internal reflection.
Recombination of Colours of Light
We get dispersed light from the prism in the
experiment as shown in figure 3.2. In the path
of the dispersed light arrange an identical
prism as shown in figure 3.9.
•What kind of light is obtained on the wall?
(coloured light / white light)
•What could be the reason for this?
The rays of different colours from the first prism undergo a deviation
in the opposite direction by the second prism. This results in the
recombination of colours to produce white light on the wall.
Are there any other components in sunlight
besides visible light?
Electromagnetic Spectrum
We feel hot when sunlight falls on our body. Sunlight is beneficial
to our body. But do you know that excessive exposure to sunlight is
harmful? What could be the reason for this?
54
Physics Standard - X
Sunlight contains infrared and ultraviolet radiations in addition to visible
light. The infrared radiation in the sunlight is the main reason for the heat
in the Sun’s rays.
In the activity shown in figure 2.2 (b) (burning paper using a lens), the
paper burns because of the convergence of infrared radiation on the paper.
Ultraviolet radiation helps to produce vitamin D in our body.
Solar radiations reach the earth's atmosphere after travelling an average
distance of 150 million kilometre through air and vacuum. The distance it
travels through the air is negligibly small compared to that in vacuum. Solar
radiations contain visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation,
etc. They do not require a medium to travel. They travel through vacuum
at a speed of 300,000 kilometre per second (3×108 m/s). Such radiations
are electromagnetic radiations.
Electromagnetic spectrum
The orderly distribution of electromagnetic radiations is known as
the electromagnetic spectrum.
Observe figure 3.10. Name the radiations that constitute the
electromagnetic spectrum. List them in the ascending order of
wavelength.
Is white light produced only when all the colours of
visible light are combined?
The World of Colours and Vision55
Primary Colours and Secondary Colours
Arrange LEDs emitting red, green, and blue light at an angle of
120o on a circular disc. Pass the light from the LEDs through
a PVC pipe and project it onto a screen. Set the position of the
PVC pipe such that the red, green, and blue colours overlap.
What do you observe? Based on your observations, complete
table 3.2.
PhET→ Colour
Vision
Table 3.2Overlapping
coloursResulting
colours on
overlapping
Red + GreenYellow
Red + Blue
Blue + Green
Red + Green + Blue
In the region where red, green, and blue
colours of the same intensity are combined,
we see white light. The region where red and
green combine appears as yellow, the part
where green and blue combine appears as
cyan, and the part where red and blue combine
appears as magenta.
Not only white light, but all other coloured lights can also be created using
red, green, and blue lights. Therefore, these colours are called the primary
colours of light. The coloured light formed by combining any two primary
colours is a secondary colour of light.
Find the secondary colours from figure 3.12 and write them down.
•What are the primary colours in yellow light?
•Which primary colour is not present in yellow light?
•Which colour will be obtained when yellow light is combined with
the primary colour that is not present in yellow?
yellow
white
cyan
magentaTable 3.2
56
Physics Standard - X
•If we add a primary colour that is not a constituent of the
secondary colour, won’t we get white light?
When a secondary colour is combined with a primary
colour, we get white light. Such pairs of colours are called
complementary colours. Complete table 3.3 with regard to
complementary colours.
Take a circular disc. Colour half of it with light
yellow colour and the other half with light blue
colour using crayons. Rotate this circular disc very
fast. What do you observe? Why? Why does the
circular disc appear white?
Persistence of Vision
When a burning incense stick is whirled very fast, a
ring of fire can be seen. Why?
This is due to the peculiarity of eye called the
persistence of [Link]
Colour Component
ColoursComplementary
Colour
Yellow Red + Green Blue
Magenta
Cyan
Table 3.3The yellow light from
a sodium vapour lamp
is not a composite
light. Hence, red and
green objects appear
dark in this light.
Find more examples of persistence of [Link] we quickly remove an object from
our field of vision the visual experience
of that object persists for about 161 of a
second. This phenomenon is the persistence
of vision. Dyes Dye
obtained
Cyan + Yellow +
Magenta
Cyan + Yellow
Cyan + Magenta
Yellow + MagentaDark
Green
Blue
RedColours of LightColour
obtained
Blue+ Green + Red
Blue + Green
Green + Red
Blue + RedWhite
Cyan
Yellow
Magen ta
Primary dyes are used in
painting and printing. In
printing, black dye is also
[Link] and Dyes
Red, green and blue (RGB) are
primary colours while considering
colours of light. But in the case of
dyes, cyan, magenta and yellow
(CMY) are taken as primary colours.
The combination of primary colours
of the same intensity and primary
dyes are given in the table.
The World of Colours and Vision57
Newton's Colour Disc
The experiment (
obtained when the seven colours of sunlight are combined.
Newton’s colour disc is a circular disc painted with the
colours of sunlight in the same order and proportion. What
can be observed when it is rotated very fast? What is the
reason?
When Newton's colour disc is rotated very fast, before the
visual experience of any one colour vanishes from the eye, Newton's colour disc
it a blue
flower?This red
flower is so
beautiful!
Record the observations of each case in
table 3.4. the rays from the succeeding colours reach the eyes in quick
succession. Due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, the
combined effect of all the colours persists in our eyes and appears
almost white.
Explain the following based on the persistence of vision:
•When a torch or a burning stick is rotated very fast, a ring of fire
is seen.
•
Make some working models to demonstrate persistence of vision
and present them in the class.
Colour of Transparent Objects
Observe figure 3.14.
•How did the children view the flowers?
•What is the colour of the filter in the
spectacles they wore?
Pass white light through the filters (through
transparent objects) given in figure 3.15 and
project it onto a white screen.
58
Physics Standard - X
Light falling on
the filterColour of the
filterColour of light passing
through the filter
White lightRed Transmits red colour in the white light
Green
Blue
Table 3.4
FilterLight falling
on the filter Transmits / Does not transmit
MagentaRed Transmits red
Green
Blue
Yellow Transmits red
White Transmits red and blue
Table 3.5
In a textile shop the colour of clothes are very different
from their colour seen in sunlight. What is the reason for
this difference?
Colour of opaque objects
We see an object in the colour of the light that is reflected from the
object to our eyes. A filter of secondary colour transmits light of its own colour and its
component colours. •Now let us pass each of the primary colours and white light through
a yellow filter. What do you observe?
•Identify the components of white light transmitted through each
filter.
•What happens to the other colours that fall on the filter?
Here, in each case, the filters transmit only the colour of the filter
and its component colours from the white light, and block the other
colours.
Complete table 3.5 related to secondary colours.
The World of Colours and Vision59

the objects given below? Complete table 3.6.

Object Reflected light
Blue car Blue
Green mango
White vessel
Red apple
Table 3.6
When sunlight falls on an opaque object, it reflects the colour of the object
as well as the colours associated with adjacent wavelengths. It should be
remembered that the colour of an object is not of a single wavelength.
Similarly, there may be slight differences in colour perception depending
on the light-sensitive cells (rods and cones) in the eyes of each individual.
What happens to all other colours?
The object absorbs all other colours.
Write down the results obtained by observing the given objects in green,
blue, and yellow lights and complete the table.
Objects Light Colour of the object seen
Red flower Red Red
Green Dark
Yellow Red
Green leaf Red
Green
Yellow
Yellow flowerRed
Green
Yellow
Table 3.7
60
Physics Standard - X
What are the inferences obtained on analysing the
table?
•What colours do a green leaf reflect? And what
about a red flower?
•Can a yellow flower reflect only the yellow
colour?
An opaque object of a secondary colour can reflect
light of its colour and its component colours.
•In which colour will a surface appear if it reflects
all colours of light falling on it? And what about a
surface that absorbs all colours?
A surface that reflects all colours will appear white
in white light. We know that a surface that absorbs
all colours appears dark.
Why does the sky usually appear blue?
Scattering of Light
The schematic diagram shows the scattering of light rays due to their collision
with the microscopic particles in the atmosphere (
the garden. But why does each appear in a different colour? Now
can’t it be explained? Sunlight is a composite light. It contains
different colours. When sunlight falls on objects, each object reflects
different colours according to its colour. Accordingly, objects are
seen in different colours. The beautiful colours of
peacock feathers and butterfly
wings are primarily due to
their microscopic structure
rather than pigments. This
is based on the arrangement
of nanostructures called
photonic crystals in their
feathers or wings. The various
light phenomena through
nanostructures are responsible
for the fascinating and varied
colours.
The beautiful colours of
Peacock and Butterfly
The World of Colours and Vision61
•Which type of scattering does light undergo when it falls on
microscopic particles? (regular / irregular)
•Does this type of scattering cause sunlight to spread everywhere?
Discuss. The phenomenon of spreading of light in this manner is
scattering.
Do all the component colours of white light
undergo scattering in the same manner?
Let's see. Take about three quarters of water
in a rectangular glass jar. Allow light rays
from a torch to pass through the water in the
jar onto the screen as shown in the figure.
Dissolve sodium thiosulphate in the water at
a concentration of two gram per litre. Add
one or two drops of hydrochloric acid to it. Observe the gradual
change of light in the solution and on the screen.
•Which colour spreads first in the solution?
•Write down in order the colour changes seen on the screen.
•Which is the last colour to appear on the screen?
When sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid react, colloidal
sulphur is precipitated. The size of the particles gradually increases.
Discuss the change in scattering in relation to wavelength as the size
of the sulphur particles gradually increases.
Violet, indigo and blue colours in sunlight, which have shorter
wavelengths, undergo more scattering when they encounter particles
in the atmosphere. The scattering of red, having a relatively longer
wavelength, is very low. Hence red can travel a longer distance
through the atmosphere.
The extent of scattering and the size of the particles are related to each
other. As the size of the particles increases, so does the scattering. If
the size of the particles is greater than the wavelength of light, the
scattering will be the same for all colours. Scattering is the irregular and partial
directional deviation of light
when it encounters particles in a medium.
62
Physics Standard - X
Tyndall Effect
Take water mixed with chalk powder in a beaker, as shown in
figure 3.21. Pass light from a torch through it.
•What do you observe?
Can you see the path of light?
Don’t you know that water mixed with chalk powder
is an example of a suspension? The path of light can
be clearly seen due to the scattering of light when it
passes through a suspension.
Similarly, in winter, paths of light through the gaps
of the branches of trees can be seen clearly due to
scattering.
When light rays pass through a colloidal liquid
or suspension, they get scattered, causing tiny
particles to become illuminated, making the
path of light visible. This phenomenon is the
Tyndall effect.
Let's consider some other situations related to scattering.
Blue Colour of the Sky
Why does the sky appear blue?
Observe figure 3.23.
You know that light undergoes scattering when
it passes through the atmosphere.
•Which colour undergoes maximum scattering?
•Then, which colour of light spreads in the
atmosphere?
particles in the colloid. As the size of the particles
increases, the intensity of scattering increases.
The World of Colours and Vision63
When sunlight travels through the atmosphere to reach the Earth,
some of its components undergo scattering as it passes through the
air. Scattering occurs most for colours with shorter wavelengths such
as violet, indigo and blue. This scattered light spreads in the sky.
The resultant scattered light that reaches the observer's eye gives the
effect of the blue colour. So the sky appears blue.
How do eyes enable vision?
a distance of 20 cm away from the lens. Adjust the position of the
screen to get a clear image of the flame.
Observe and understand the arrangements used here
to form the image.
In the same way, an image of an object is formed in
our eyes.
Compare the image formation in the experiment with
the image formation in the eyes. Write down the
similar parts which contribute to the image formation
in both cases.
morning eveningColour of Setting and Rising Sun
Why does the sun appear red or yellow or orange
during sunrise and sunset? Find out by analysing
figure 3.24.
•The distance that the sun's rays travel through
the atmosphere to reach the Earth during sunrise
and sunset compared to other times is
(more / less)
•Which colours undergo the least scattering at
these times?
•Which colour will be prominent in the light reaching the Earth?
If so, explain why the sun appears red, yellow, or orange during
sunrise and sunset.
Eye and Vision
We can see the beautiful sights in nature with the help of our eyes.
64
Physics Standard - X
Now try changing the position of the object to a distance 30 cm from
the lens. Is a clear image formed on the screen now?
Replace the lens of focal length 10 cm with a lens of focal length
12 cm.
•What do you observe?
Isn’t a clear image of the object formed on the screen?
•What could be the reason for getting a clear image now?
The ability of the eye to change the curvature of the lens and adjust the
focal length so that the image of the object always falls on the retina,
regardless of the position of the object, is the power of accommodation of
the eye.
You have understood that due to the power of accommodation of the eye,
a clear image of objects at different distances is formed on the retina itself.
Will clear images be formed on the retina when objects
are kept very close to the eye?Note that a clear image was obtained at the
same position when a lens with a suitable focal
length was used. When the object is placed at
different positions, to get a clear image at the
same position, the focal length of the lens must
be adjusted accordingly.
How are images of objects at different
distances formed on the retina?
This is made possible by changing the
curvature of the lens in the eye with the help
of the ciliary muscles by changing the focal
length. When the ciliary muscles contract, the curvature of the lens
increases and the focal length decreases.
•What change will occur in the curvature of the lens while looking
at distant objects?
•What about the focal length when the curvature decreases?
The World of Colours and Vision65
Let's do an activity.
Try reading a book by holding it close to your nose.
•Can you see the letters clearly?
•What if you move the book away?
•At what distance from the eye can you see the letters clearly?
Measure this distance. This distance is the least distance of distinct
vision. The nearest point at which an object can be seen clearly is
the near point. For healthy eyes, the minimum distance for clear
vision is 25 cm.
•What is the maximum distance at which an object can be seen
clearly?
The farthest point at which an object can be seen clearly is the far
point. This distance is considered to be infinity.
•Will the near point and far point be alike for everyone?
Short sightedness / Myopia
Some people can see nearby objects clearly but cannot see distant
objects. This defect of the eye is short sightedness. The schematic
diagram shows the vision of a person with this defect.
•When an object is placed at a distant point
P as shown in the figure, where will the image
be formed?
•Can the object be seen clearly?
•What if the object is at Q?
•Why can't such people see distant objects clearly?
For people with this defect, the far point will not be at infinity. It
will be at a certain distance from the eye.
•What could be the reason for short sightedness? Can you explain
the reason based on the size of the eyeball and the power of the
lens in the eye?
•The size of the eyeball is
(larger / smaller)
•The power of the lens is
(more / less)
Write down your conclusions in the science diary.
66
Physics Standard - X
•Observe figure 3.28 to find out how
shortsightedness is rectified.
Short sightedness can be rectified using a
concave lens with suitable power.
Long sightedness / Hypermetropia
Some people can see distant objects clearly but cannot see nearby
objects clearly. This defect of the eye is long-sightedness.
The figures showing the image formation in the eye of a person with
long sightedness are given [
Didn’t you observe that the distance to the near point of a person
with long sightedness is different? By observing the image, you may
have understood that a clear image is not formed on the retina of a
person with long sightedness.
The near point of a person with long
sightedness will be more than 25 cm.
•Find the reason for this defect based on
the size of the eyeball and the power of
the lens in the eye.
•The size of the eyeball is
(larger / smaller)
•The power of the lens is
(more / less)
•How can long sightedness be rectified?
Find out from figure 3.30.
Long sightedness can be rectified using a
convex lens with suitable power.
(b)
Presbyopia
What is the distance to the near point for a healthy eye?
For older people, the distance to the near point may be more than
25 cm. This is because the efficiency of the ciliary muscles decreases.
Such people have less power of accommodation. This is presbyopia.
The World of Colours and Vision67
Light Pollution
Although light is essential for the survival of life
on Earth, artificial light harms the natural habitat
of the biosphere. Light pollution refers to the
creation of artificial light in excessive amounts
and intensity. Artificial light adversely affects the
reproduction and predation of many nocturnal
animals.
Excess of artificial light adversely affects the
natural activities, mental and physical health of
humans. What are the other consequences of light
pollution? Prepare a note on this to present in
class.
 Causes difficulty during night drive.
 Makes astronomical observations difficult
by obstructing the night sky.
 The light from multi-storeyed flats misleads
migratory birds.
Photoperiodism
Certain categories of plants
bloom, bear fruit and shed
leaves at different times of the
year. A type of protein called
phytochrome found in leaves
controls this biological clock.
The phytochrome controls this
mechanism by identifying the
amount of sunlight received in
each season. This phenomenon
is photoperiodism. The fact that
the leaves on the branches of a
tree growing near a street lamp
do not fall is an example of the
effect of light pollution on the
photoperiodism of plants.
1. Find the most appropriate answer.
Name the optical phenomena taking place when light rays pass through water droplets
to form a rainbow.
a) internal reflection b) refraction
c) refraction and internal reflection d) none of these
2. Which of the following pairs of colours can produce white light?
 a) magenta, blue b) yellow, green c) red, green d) magenta, green
3. When a ray of white light enters obliquely and passes through a prism
i) does not undergo refraction ii) undergoes dispersion
iii) undergoes dispersion and deviation iv) not subjected to any of these
Choose the correct option.
a) ii & iii b) iv c) i & iv d) none of these
68
Physics Standard - X
4. Fill in the blanks appropriately:
a) Cyan colour + ……… → white light b) Blue colour + . . . . . . . → white light
c) Magenta colour + green colour → ……….
d) Magenta colour + cyan colour + yellow colour → …………
5. Give scientific explanations based on scattering for the following:
a) Red light is used for emergency lamps.
b) The sky of the moon appears dark even during the day.
c) The deep sea appears blue.
6. Complete the path of a light ray falling on the glass prism
(
7. What are the radiations that are seen on either side of visible light in the
electromagnetic spectrum? Write one use of the radiation with a shorter wavelength
than visible light.
8. The near point of a person with hypermetropia is 40 cm.
a) Can this person read the letters in a book held 25 cm away?
b) Can this person see an object at infinity?
c) How can this defect of the eye be rectified?
9. Water is colourless, but it appears white in waterfalls. Why?
10. Based on the colour of illumination in the room, how can the coloured objects given
in the table be seen? Complete the table.
Colour of the
objectLight in the room
Green Blue Red Magenta Cyan Yellow
Magenta
Green
Table 3.8
1. Prepare a note on the differences between colours of light and dyes.
2. Construct Newton's colour disc and operate.