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WavesWavesElectromagnetic SpectrumVisible LightUltraviolet

AQA GCSE · Question 06.3 · Waves

1004007001000Wavelength in nmUltravioletVisible lightInfrared

The eyes of a bee can detect electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 300 nm and 600 nm. Give two ways the radiation detected by the eyes of a bee is different from the radiation detected by human eyes.

How to approach this question

1. Identify the range of wavelengths for human vision from the diagram (Visible light: 400-700 nm). 2. The question gives the range for bee vision (300-600 nm). 3. Compare these two ranges. Find a part of the spectrum that bees can see but humans can't. 4. Find a part of the spectrum that humans can see but bees can't.

Full Answer

1. Bees can see ultraviolet (UV) light (300-400 nm), but humans cannot. 2. Humans can see red light (wavelengths above 600 nm up to 700 nm), but bees cannot.
Human vision range (from diagram) is approximately 400 nm to 700 nm. Bee vision range (from question) is 300 nm to 600 nm. By comparing these ranges, we can find two differences: 1. The lower limit for bees is 300 nm, while for humans it is 400 nm. This means bees can see wavelengths between 300 nm and 400 nm, which falls into the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum. Humans cannot see UV light. 2. The upper limit for bees is 600 nm, while for humans it is 700 nm. This means humans can see wavelengths between 600 nm and 700 nm, which corresponds to orange and red light. Bees cannot see these colours.

Common mistakes

✗ Just stating the ranges are different without specifying *how* (e.g., which parts are different).\n✗ Saying bees can't see visible light - they can see most of it, just not the red end.

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