Module 6 Flashcards
What is the primary way we experience light in our daily lives?
Through its interaction with objects, which allows us to interpret colors and patterns.
What is radiative energy?
The energy that light carries.
What units do we use to measure energy?
Joules.
What is power in the context of light?
The rate at which light transfers energy, measured in watts.
What does a power of 1 watt indicate?
An energy flow of 1 joule per second.
What are the basic colors in the visible spectrum?
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Blue
- Violet
What do we perceive when colors are mixed in equal proportions?
White light.
What are the primary colors of vision?
- Red
- Green
- Blue
What does CMYK stand for in color printing?
- Cyan
- Magenta
- Yellow
- Black
What are the four basic ways light interacts with matter?
- Emission
- Absorption
- Transmission
- Reflection/Scattering
What is the difference between transparent and opaque materials?
Transparent materials transmit light; opaque materials absorb light.
What happens to light when it strikes an object?
It can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted, depending on the object’s material properties.
How does light travel in the presence of matter?
It often scatters, which can lead to daylight entering through windows even when the sun isn’t directly shining.
What was one of the first scientific insights into the nature of light?
Experiments by Isaac Newton in the 1660s.
What did Newton prove about color and prisms?
Colors come from light, not from the prism itself.
What is one of the major debates in the history of light science?
Is light a wave or a particle?
What are the three basic properties of waves?
- Wavelength
- Frequency
- Speed
What is wavelength?
The distance from one peak to the next in a wave.
What is frequency measured in?
Hertz (Hz).
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?
Approximately 300,000 kilometers per second.
What do we call light as a type of wave?
Electromagnetic wave.
What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency for light?
The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency, and vice versa.
What are photons?
Particles of light that exhibit both wave and particle properties.
Fill in the blank: Light is a form of _______.
Energy.
True or False: Light can only travel in straight lines.
False.
What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency of light?
Longer wavelength light has lower frequency and shorter wavelength light has higher frequency.
GHz stands for gigahertz, or 10^9 Hz.
What are photons?
Photons are individual ‘pieces’ of light that have properties of both particles and waves.
How does the energy of a photon relate to its wavelength?
The shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy of the photons.
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
The electromagnetic spectrum is the complete range of light, including all wavelengths, from gamma rays to radio waves.
What is visible light?
Visible light is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be seen by the human eye, with wavelengths from about 400 to 700 nanometers.
What is infrared light?
Infrared light has wavelengths longer than red light and is associated with heat.
What are radio waves?
Radio waves are the longest-wavelength light and are a form of electromagnetic radiation.
What is ultraviolet light?
Ultraviolet light has wavelengths shorter than blue light and can damage skin cells.
What are X-rays?
X-rays are a form of light with wavelengths shorter than ultraviolet light and can penetrate skin and muscle.
What are gamma rays?
Gamma rays are the shortest-wavelength light in the electromagnetic spectrum.
What is the significance of the relationship between wavelength, frequency, and energy?
All photons travel at the same speed, so wavelength, frequency, and energy are interrelated.
What is the structure of an atom?
Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Where are protons and neutrons located in an atom?
Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of the atom.
What is the charge of a proton?
The charge of a proton is positive.
What is the charge of an electron?
The charge of an electron is negative.
What is a neutron’s electrical charge?
Neutrons are electrically neutral and have no charge.
How do polarized sunglasses work?
Polarized sunglasses block certain orientations of light waves, reducing glare.
Fill in the blank: The relationship between wavelength (λ), frequency (f), and the speed of light (c) is given by the equation _______.
c = λ * f
True or False: All forms of radiation are dangerous.
False
What is the significance of amplitude in relation to light?
Amplitude is related to the brightness of light.
What is the term used to describe energy carried by light?
Electromagnetic radiation.
What did Democritus propose about matter?
He proposed that matter is composed of indivisible particles called atoms.
What are some examples of common chemical elements?
- Hydrogen
- Helium
- Carbon
- Oxygen
- Silicon
- Iron
- Gold
- Silver
- Lead
- Uranium
Fill in the blank: Radio waves are a form of light that have _______ wavelengths.
longest
What is the approximate wavelength of green light?
About 550 nanometers.
True or False: The visible spectrum is a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
False
What happens to radio waves when they encounter a brick wall?
The wall is opaque to visible light but transmits radio waves.
What does the term ‘polarized’ refer to in the context of light?
It refers to the direction in which a light wave vibrates and how those vibrations change when light bounces off or passes through matter.
How do light waves vibrate?
Light waves have electric and magnetic fields vibrating either up and down or side to side compared to the direction of travel.
What happens when light reflects off a flat horizontal surface?
The reflected light tends to have its electric field vibrating horizontally, making it horizontally polarized.
What do polarized sunglasses do?
They block light with horizontal polarization, which often causes glare.
What is unpolarized light?
Light that has no preferential direction of vibration.
In astronomy, what can polarized light indicate?
It can provide information about the nature of the light source, such as the alignment of dust grains in interstellar clouds.
What is the atomic number of an element?
The number of protons in its nucleus.
What is the atomic mass number?
The combined number of protons and neutrons in an atom.
What is an isotope?
Versions of an element with different numbers of neutrons.
What is the most common isotope of carbon?
Carbon-12, which has six protons and six neutrons.
What is a molecule?
A combination of two or more atoms.
What is the difference between molecular oxygen and atomic oxygen?
Molecular oxygen (O2) behaves differently from atomic oxygen (O).
What are the three phases of water?
- Solid (ice) * Liquid (water) * Gas (water vapor)
What causes phase changes in matter?
Changes in temperature or pressure can break and replace bonds between atoms or molecules.
What is vaporization?
The process by which molecules break free from their neighbors and enter the gas phase.
What occurs during molecular dissociation?
Molecules split into pieces due to violent collisions at high temperatures.
What is ionization?
The process of stripping electrons from atoms, resulting in charged ions.
What is a plasma?
A hot gas consisting of freely moving electrons and positively charged ions.
How does the degree of ionization in a plasma depend on its properties?
It depends on the temperature and composition of the plasma.
What is the melting point of water at ordinary atmospheric pressure?
0°C.
What happens to water as it is heated beyond its boiling point?
All the water enters the gas phase.
Fill in the blank: An atom’s nucleus contains positively charged _______ and negatively charged electrons surround it.
protons.
True or False: Electrons in an atom orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the Sun.
False.
What is the illusion of solidity in matter?
It arises because atoms are mostly empty space, with mass concentrated in their nuclei.
What is the relationship between temperature and molecular movement in phase changes?
Higher temperatures increase the average kinetic energy of particles, allowing them to break bonds.
What is sublimation?
The process by which a solid transitions directly into a gas.
What is evaporation?
The process by which a liquid transitions into a gas.
How can two phases of water exist simultaneously?
Some sublimation occurs over ice, and some evaporation occurs over liquid water.
What does the symbol He-4 represent?
Helium with an atomic mass number of 4, containing two protons and two neutrons.
What happens to hydrogen when it is ionized?
It can be ionized only once, leaving a proton.
How many electrons does a neutral oxygen atom have?
Eight electrons.
What is the charge of singly ionized oxygen?
It has a charge of +1.
What happens to oxygen at temperatures of several million degrees?
All eight electrons can be stripped away, resulting in a fully ionized ion.
What is the primary factor determining the phase of a substance?
Temperature.
Define pressure in a scientific context.
Pressure is the force per unit area pushing on an object’s surface.
How can pressure affect the phases of substances?
High pressure can keep substances solid despite high temperatures.
What role does atmospheric pressure play in the stability of liquid water?
It determines whether water is stable in liquid form.
What happens to water vapor on Earth’s surface?
Some water vapor molecules collide with the ocean surface and rejoin it.
What is the effect of high pressure on gases in liquids?
It can cause gases to dissolve in liquids.
How are sodas made carbonated?
By mixing water with high-pressure carbon dioxide gas.
What is mass-energy in atoms?
Energy possessed by virtue of their mass.
What is kinetic energy in the context of atoms?
Energy possessed by virtue of their motion.
What type of energy depends on the arrangement of electrons around nuclei?
Electrical potential energy.
What are energy levels in atoms?
Particular amounts of energy that electrons can possess.
What is the ground state energy level defined as?
0 eV.
What occurs during energy level transitions?
An electron can rise to a higher level or fall to a lower one.
What is required for an electron to transition between energy levels?
It must gain or lose a specific amount of energy separating the levels.
What happens if an electron gains enough energy to reach the ionization level?
It escapes from the atom, ionizing it.
What is quantum physics?
The study of energy levels of electrons and other particles.
Do all atoms have quantized energy levels?
Yes, all atoms have quantized energy levels.
What is the relationship between energy levels and different elements?
Allowed energy levels differ from element to element.
Fill in the blank: The study of the energy levels of electrons is called _______.
quantum physics.
True or False: Electrons can have any amount of energy.
False.
