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White light is dispersed by a glass prism into the colors of the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is the band of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light (or simply light).
By definition, visible light is the part of the EM spectrum the human eye is the most sensitive to. Visible light (and near-infrared light) is typically absorbed and emitted by electrons in molecules and atoms that move from one energy level to another. This action allows the chemical mechanisms that underlie human vision and plant photosynthesis.
When a beam of light crosses the boundary between a vacuum and another medium, or between two different media, the wavelength of the light changes, but the frequency remains constant. If the beam of light is not orthogonal (or rather normal) to the boundary, the change in wavelength results in a change in the direction of the beam.
In the physical sciences, the term spectrum was introduced first into optics by Isaac Newton in the 17th century, referring to the range of colors observed when white light was dispersed through a prism. [1] [2] Soon the term referred to a plot of light intensity or power as a function of frequency or wavelength, also known as a spectral ...
Wavelength is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns. [3] [4] The inverse of the wavelength is called the spatial frequency. Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda (λ). For a modulated wave, wavelength may refer to the carrier wavelength of the signal.
The wavelength of light is then selected by the slit on the upper right corner. An optical spectrometer (spectrophotometer, spectrograph or spectroscope) is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. [1]
Rough plot of Earth's atmospheric transmittance (or opacity) to various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light.. The optical window is the portion of the optical spectrum that is not blocked by the Earth's atmosphere.
By recording the attenuation of light for various wavelengths, an absorption spectrum can be obtained. In physics , absorption of electromagnetic radiation is how matter (typically electrons bound in atoms ) takes up a photon 's energy —and so transforms electromagnetic energy into internal energy of the absorber (for example, thermal energy ).