The current lab is focused on the phenomenon of light and its peculiarities. It is one of the most important elements of our universe as it is associated with numerous processes. Light is what we see using our eyes. The fact is that all objects can reflect light. It is the fundamental quality that provides people with an opportunity to see (Walmsley 12). Reflected rays of light travel from diverse things that surround us into the eye, which works as a complex lens that focuses them and projects on the retina (Watzke and Arcand 81). In such a way, all human beings can orient in space due to the given phenomena. At the same time, there are several unique features associated with light, such as its speed, behavior in different environments, reflection, and refraction (Hecht 56). They can be used to explain diverse optical illusions and images we can observe.
During the lab, we investigated the way light moved and how this factor impacted the final image. It is a well-known fact that light travels in a straight path until it meets a particular obstacle (Walmsley 32). However, the direction and velocity of light can alter at the boundary of two materials (Watzke and Arcand 81). At the same time, we do not see the whole object and all rays of light that are reflected from the object (Walmsley 39). There are multiple fractions that come in all directions with the high speed (Pedrotti et al. 98 ). However, only some of them come into our eyes due to the existence of a tiny hole, a pupil. Similar conditions were created in the experiment during the lab. Using a pinhole, we managed to acquire the image of an object in front of our device. However, it was reversed. The given factor is explained by the fact that light always moves straightforward (Walmsley 35). Thus, the pinhole helps to focus on some rays that come from the object in all directions. However, passing through the hole, the light continues to move in a straight line. In such a way, it ends up at the bottom.
The given assumption perfectly demonstrates the fundamental aspects of this physical phenomenon and how light travels in space. Using a pinhole, we reconstruct mechanisms similar to those occurring in our eyes. The only difference is that there is the pupil that is responsible for focus, and it acts as a converging lens. That is why we see actual images, not reversed ones. Continuing experiments with a pinhole, we were able to alter the size of the image and its brightness. It can be achieved by changing the distance between tubes of the device. The smaller space will help to acquire a smaller image, and on the contrary. Additionally, by making the hole bigger, we also blur the image and make it brighter. It can be explained by the fact that more fractions are caught by the hole and alter the character and quality of the image. However, the presence of a bigger number of rays of light means that the image will become more contrasted.
In such a way, we managed to observe the basic characteristics of light and the way it moves. The given information is used in multiple spheres of the modern world. For instance, the work of cameras is explained by the utilization of mechanisms similar to those we explored while experimenting with the pinhole. The camera lens can be considered the hole that focuses light and catches fractions that come from the needed object in different ways (Schwartz, 111). The image is projected due to the peculiarities of the trajectory according to which light moves (Schwartz, 111). In fact, the same reversed images as we observed are acquired. However, due to the use of specific convergent lenses, rays are focused, and we manage to see a true picture.
Another sphere of the application includes devices used to monitor distant objects such as binoculars and other fields of optics. Specialists use these peculiarities of light to project images on different surfaces starting from monitors and ending with giant buildings. Moreover, the rise of astronomy can be associated with the increased understanding of the given mechanisms. Telescopes explore a similar principle as they can be considered a pinhole that reflects light coming from distant stars. It is apparent that modern devices are more complex and use a system of lenses; however, they utilize the idea of a straightforward lights movement (Johnson 89). It is an important sphere of modern science needed to work with different pictures and contribute to the acquisition of multiple pieces of visual data.
Altogether, light is one of the most important phenomena in our universe. It is associated with all visible objects and forms the mechanisms of our sight. All objects reflect numerous rays that move straightforward in all directions. However, using diverse tools, we can acquire images of these things by collecting some fractions. A simple experiment with the pinhole proves this assumption. These qualities are used in different fields of modern science such as astronomy, optics, and devices such as cameras and binoculars.
Works Cited
Hecht, Eugene. Optics. Pearson, 2016.
Johnson, Bill. Optics and Optical Instruments: An Introduction. Dover Publications, 2011.
Pedrotti, Frank, et al. Introduction to Optics. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Schwartz, Steven. Geometrical and Visual Optics. McGraw-Hill Education, 2013.
Walmsley, Ian. Light: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2015.
Watzke, Megan, and Kimberly Arcand. Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2015.