Module 7: The Nature of Light
Module 7 of the HSC Physics curriculum, titled "The Nature of Light," aims to provide students with an understanding of the properties, behaviour, and applications of light. The module explores our current and past understanding of light via different models.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Inquiry question: What is light?
- Introduction to Spectroscopy (Gas discharge tube, reflected sunlight, incandescent filament)
Light: Wave Model
Inquiry question: What evidence supports the classical wave model of light and what predictions can be made using this model?
- Corpuscular Model vs Wave Model of Light (Newton & Huygens)
Light: Quantum Model
Inquiry question: What evidence supports the particle model of light and what are the implications of this evidence for the development of the quantum model of light?
Light and Special Relativity
Inquiry question: How does the behaviour of light affect concepts of time, space and matter?
- Evidence for Einstein's Postulates (Michelson-Morley Experiment)