visible light

(noun)

the part of the electromagnetic spectrum, between infrared and ultraviolet, that is visible to the human eye

Related Terms

Examples of visible light in the following topics:

  • Introduction to Light Energy

    • All electromagnetic radiation, or light energy, travels at a particular wavelength and carries a certain amount of energy.
    • The sun emits an enormous amount of electromagnetic radiation (solar or light energy).
    • Humans can see only a fraction of this energy, which is referred to as "visible light."
    • Visible light constitutes only one of many types of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the sun and other stars.
    • All electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, is characterized by its wavelength.

  • Absorption of Light

    • For example, retinal pigments can only "see" (absorb) 700 nm to 400 nm light; this is visible light.
    • The visible light seen by humans as the color white light actually exists in a rainbow of colors in the electromagnetic spectrum, with violet and blue having shorter wavelengths and, thus, higher energy.
    • Different kinds of pigments exist, each of which has evolved to absorb only certain wavelengths or colors of visible light.
    • Each type of pigment can be identified by the specific pattern of wavelengths it absorbs from visible light, which is the absorption spectrum.
    • The colors of visible light do not carry the same amount of energy.

  • Light

    • Light can, in fact, travel in a vacuum.
    • A glance at the electromagnetic spectrum shows that visible light for humans is just a small slice of the entire spectrum, which includes radiation that we cannot see as light because it is below the frequency of visible red light and above the frequency of visible violet light .
    • Light at the red end of the visible spectrum has longer wavelengths (and is lower frequency), while light at the violet end has shorter wavelengths (and is higher frequency).
    • The term "white light" is light that is perceived as white by the human eye.
    • A glance at the electromagnetic spectrum shows that visible light for humans is just a small slice of the entire spectrum.

  • Plant Responses to Light

    • Plants respond to light stimuli by growing, differentiating, tracking the time of day and seasons, and moving toward or away from the light.
    • Plants can differentiate and develop in response to light (known as photomorphogenesis), which allows plants to optimize their use of light and space.
    • The red, far-red, and violet-blue regions of the visible light spectrum trigger structural development in plants.
    • Sensory photoreceptors absorb light in these particular regions of the visible light spectrum because of the quality of light available in the daylight spectrum.
    • Water absorbs red light, which makes the detection of blue light essential for algae and aquatic plants.

  • Microscopy

    • Most student microscopes are classified as light microscopes .
    • Visible light passes and is bent through the lens system to enable the user to see the specimen.
    • Light microscopes, commonly used in undergraduate college laboratories, magnify up to approximately 400 times.
    • In contrast to light microscopes, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons instead of a beam of light.
    • As you might imagine, electron microscopes are significantly more bulky and expensive than light microscopes.

  • Structure and Function of the Muscular System

    • Voluntary refers to whether the muscle is under conscious control, while striation refers to the presence of visible banding within myocytes caused by the organization of myofibrils to produce constant tension.
    • The body contains three types of muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle, visualized here using light microscopy.
    • Visible striations in skeletal and cardiac muscle are visible, differentiating them from the more randomised appearance of smooth muscle.

  • Main Structures and Summary of Photosynthesis

    • Before learning the details of how photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy, it is important to become familiar with the structures involved.
    • Embedded in the thylakoid membrane is chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs certain portions of the visible spectrum and captures energy from sunlight.
    • Chlorophyll gives plants their green color and is responsible for the initial interaction between light and plant material, as well as numerous proteins that make up the electron transport chain.

  • Anatomy of the Eye

    • The iris, which is visible as the colored part of the eye, is a circular muscular ring lying between the lens and the aqueous humour that regulates the amount of light entering the eye.
    • Light passes through the center of the iris, the pupil, which actively adjusts its size to maintain a constant level of light entering the eye.
    • In conditions of low light, the iris relaxes and the pupil enlarges .
    • Rods respond in low light and can detect only shades of gray.
    • Cones respond in intense light and are responsible for color vision.

  • Deuteromycota: The Imperfect Fungi

    • They form visible mycelia with a fuzzy appearance and are commonly known as mold.
    • The spherical structure in this light micrograph is a conidiophore.

  • The Two Parts of Photosynthesis

    • Light-dependent and light-independent reactions are two successive reactions that occur during photosynthesis.
    • Pigments in the light-harvesting complex pass light energy to two special chlorophyll a molecules in the reaction center.
    • Although the light-independent reactions do not use light as a reactant (and as a result can take place at day or night), they require the products of the light-dependent reactions to function.
    • In addition, several enzymes of the light-independent reactions are activated by light.
    • Light-dependent reactions, which take place in the thylakoid membrane, use light energy to make ATP and NADPH.