Interactions of Light and Matter
Text Resources
Beiser, A 2003, Concepts of Modern Physics, 6th edn, McGraw-HiII.
Caro, McDonell & Spicer 1980, Modern Physics, 3rd edn, Edward Arnold, London.
Haber-Schaim, U et al. 1986, PSSC Physics, DC Heath & Co.
Serway, RA 1997, Modern Physics, 2nd edn, Saunders, New York.
Audiovisual Resources
It is recommended that teachers should view any video before purchase.
Marcom Projects: Interference of Light, Light Pressure for Heavy Ideas, Modern Physics & Cosmology, Waves, Sound and Electromagnetism, Light, Optics and Electricity
VEA: The Photoelectric Effect
- Some Talking Points on the philosophical aspects of this topic.
- Data Analysis Exercise
- This file is a Data Analysis assessment task for Light and Matter. It includes a short statement for students about what they will be assessed on.
- Assessment Task for previous course, it contains a couple of questions that are not on the current course.
Videos
The 'Double slit' experiment with electrons. This Hitachi website describes the experiment ofelectrons passing through a double slit, one at a time, yet still producing an interference pattern. It includes a video (about 3.5MB, 68 sec long) of the screen with electrons slowly accummulating to build the pattern. There is explanatory text on the bottom as well.
Applets
Colorado Modern Physics. An interactive journey through numerous applets with accessible supporting text.
Physics Education technologyAn extensive set of applets, select 'Light and radiation' and 'Quantum Phenomena'.
Applet on Interference also located at this site.
Another interference applet allowing variation of wavelength, slit spacing and distance to screen.
Applet on Franck Hertz Experiment
There are an increasing number of applets being developed around the world. Some of the developers have written quite a large number across many fields of physics and science in general. Under the “Links” area of this website there is a section for applets where you can select one of the web sites of these developers to see the range that they have produced.
Listed below are the applets from these developers for this particular Area of Study. Each has a description to give you some idea of its usefulness and relevance. The first name is the developer, the second is the category or section within their site and the third is the applet’s title.
Please read the descriptions below, and then go to the Links section.
- Walter Fendt/Oscillations and Waves /Reflection and Refraction of waves (Huygen’s principle)
- The applet very effectively describes reflection and refraction of waves. It features several stages. 1st a straight wave front approaches a boundary at an angle, 2nd as the wave front progressively hits dots on the boundary, circular waves are created on both sides of the boundary, 3rd A repeat of stage 2, but with a line connecting the fronts of reflecting circular waves, and same for the refracting waves, 4th A repeat of stage 3, but with an overlay of the incident, reflected and refracted rays, showing the various wavefronts at right angles to the direction of their ray, 5th this is followed by a series of incident wave fronts. The indices of refraction can be changed, as well as the angle of incidence. There is a text box to explain each stage. Total Internal Reflection can also be demonstrated. A most impressive applet.
- Walter Fendt/Electrodynamics/Electromagnetic Wave
- The applet shows oscillating electric and magnetic fields at right angles to the direction of propagation. There is nothing to vary.
- Walter Fendt/Physics of the Atom/Photoelectric Effect
- The display features photoelectric effect apparatus in which you have a choice of three metals, and a selection of filters of different frequencies and in which you can vary the backing voltage to control the current getting through. Once the Stopping Voltage is has been obtained for the particular frequency, a point is plotted on a graph, and you can select another frequency to complete the graph. In addition the frequency and the energy of the photon, the Work Function of the metal, and the Max KE of the ejected electrons are displayed in eV. The diagram does feature an op-amp to amplify the current.
- Walter Fendt/Physics of the Atom/Bohr’s Theory of the Hydrogen Atom
- The applet has two modes: the particle model and the wave model. In the particle model the energy levels are represented as concentric circles around the nucleus. As you select different energy levels, the diagram shows an electron moving around the circle, the high the level, slower the electron. In the wave model, the circle becomes a circular standing wave with increasing nodes as the energy level rises.
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