Year 9 · Science
Light waves in Year 9 Science
What should you know about light waves at KS3?
Light is a transverse electromagnetic wave that travels in straight lines through a uniform material. It can be reflected, refracted, absorbed or transmitted. White light can also be dispersed into a spectrum of colours, while lenses refract rays to form images in the eye and in cameras.
| Behaviour | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Light changes direction at a surface | A ray reflects from a mirror at the same angle |
| Refraction | Light changes speed and direction at a boundary | A ray entering glass from air bends towards the normal |
| Dispersion | Different colours refract by different amounts | A prism separates white light into a spectrum |
Keep practising: Use the Year 9 Science checklist
Year 9 learners practise how light waves and lenses work.
The activities include Describe Properties of Light Waves, Describe Refraction and Define Refractive Index, Describe How Light Interacts with Materials, and related practice. The checked support below includes video, worksheet, teaching, lesson. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.
Activities covered
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- Describe Properties of Light Waves — support from YouTube — Revision Monkey
- Describe Refraction and Define Refractive Index — support from Oak National Academy
- Describe How Light Interacts with Materials — support from YouTube — Bozeman Science
- Explain Colour Mixing, Filters and Diffuse Reflection — support from Oak National Academy
- Explain How Images are Made by Eyes and Cameras — support from YouTube — Wedgwood Tutors
- Explain How Lenses Form Images — support from Oak National Academy
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Watch it explained
watch a video explanation
Light
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Refracting light
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Light Absorption, Reflection, and Transmission
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The visible spectrum
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Structure of the Eye vs Camera – GCSE Physics
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Focusing light
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Learn it properly
lessons and teaching pages
Sound, light and vision: lesson sequence
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Making images: lesson sequence
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Waves - KS3 Physics
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