Light & Seeing in the Dark
Observe that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated by a light source
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain that we need light to see objects — without any light source, it is completely dark
- Describe an observation showing objects become visible only when light reaches them
- Distinguish between light sources (sun, torch, lamp) and objects that just reflect light
The lesson
Your eyes cannot see anything by themselves. Light has to bounce off an object and travel into your eyes before you can see it. If there is no light at all, there is nothing for your eyes to catch, so everything looks black.
Mia walks into a closet and shuts the door tight. No light gets in, so the closet turns pitch black. She waves her hand right in front of her face, but she cannot see it at all. As soon as she opens the door, sunlight pours in and she sees her hand again.
A dark room stays dark until light gets in from somewhere. A torch, a lamp, or the sun can all send light into a room so your eyes finally have something to catch.
Some things make their own light, like the sun, a lit torch, or a glowing lamp. These are called light sources. Other things, like a book or a toy, don't make any light of their own. You can only see them once light from a source reaches them and bounces into your eyes.
No light means nothing bounces to your eyes, so total darkness always looks completely black.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.