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in partnership with the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust

 

Light

When we talk about light we usually mean the light we can see with our eyes.

This is also called visible or optical light.

Light is one way energy can be transferred - moved from one place to another.

Image
A bright sun at the top of image, slightly off-centre, shines down over tall, thin trees with green foliage. The sky is bright blue with some white clouds visible.
Credit
This work by Emmanuel Huybrechts is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Light and Telescopes

One of the first people to study light was Ibn al-Haytham (known as Alhazen). He was a Muslim, living in Egypt in the early 11th Century. Alhazen is first person we know of who used the scientific method. He wanted to know why our eyes could see things.

Image
A simple experiment using paper and a light source to show light travels in straight lines..
Credit
This work by The Schools' Observatory is licensed under All rights reserved
A simple experiment using paper and a light source to show light travels in straight lines