Study Guide Test #2 (Spectroscopy) Definitions

Question 1

Definition of Gravity?

Answer 1

The force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.

Question 2

Definition of microwave?

Answer 2

Part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with large infared waves and short radio waves. Which is a version of a small ove, used to heat up food quickly.

Question 3

Definition of reflection?

Answer 3

The return of light or sound waves from a surface.

Question 4

Definition of dispersion?

Answer 4

the action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area.

Question 5

Definition of Cepheid Variable?

Answer 5

A variable star having a cycle of brightness and luminosity, allowing the estimation of its distance towards earth.

Question 6

Definition of Big Bang Theory?

Answer 6

The scientific explanation of how the Universe began.

Question 7

Definition of white light?

Answer 7

Light like sunlight that contains all the colors in the visible spectrum in ‘‘roughly’’ equal ammounts.

Question 8

Definition of gamma rays?

Answer 8

Electromagnetic radiation of the shortest wavelength and highest energy.

Question 9

Definition of radio waves?

Answer 9

A type of electromagnetic radiation that are longer than infared light, generated by trasnmitters and recieved by anttenas.

Question 10

Definition of refraction?

Answer 10

Basically when light bends.

Question 11

Definition of index of refraction?

Answer 11

Measure of the bending of a ray of light when passing from one medium into another.

Question 12

Definition of emission spectrum?

Answer 12

A spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source.

Question 13

Definition of Hubble constant?

Answer 13

The unit of measure used to to describe the expansion of the universe?

Question 14

Definition of cataracts?

Answer 14

A medical condition in the eye in which the lens of the eye is progressing into more and more blurred vision.

Question 15

Definition of x-rays?

Answer 15

An electromagnetic wave of high energy and very short wavelength, which is able to pass through many materials opaque to light.

Question 16

Definition of crest?

Answer 16

A point on a wave with the maximum value of upward displacement within a cycle

Question 17

Definition of absorption?

Answer 17

The process or action by which one thing absorbs or is absorbed by another.

Question 18

Definition of medium?

Answer 18

A substance that makes possible the transfer of energy from one location to another, especially through waves.

Question 19

Definition of star?

Answer 19

A natural luminous body visible in the sky especially at night.

Question 20

Definition of Hubble’s Law?

Answer 20

The statement in astronomy that galaxies move away from each other, and that the velocity with which they recede is proportional to their distance.

Question 21

Definition of ultra violet?

Answer 21

Being energy that is like light but has a slightly shorter wavelength and lies beyond the violet end of the spectrum.

Question 22

Definition of trough?

Answer 22

A crest point on a wave with the maximum value of upward displacement within a cycle.

Question 23

Definition of trough?

Answer 23

A trough is the opposite of a crest, so the minimum or lowest point in a cycle.

Question 24

Definition of prism?

Answer 24

A transparent solid body, often having triangular bases, used for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting rays of light.

Question 25

Definition of binary star?

Answer 25

A system of two stars in which one star revolves around the other or both revolve around a common center.

Question 26

Definition of doppler effect?

Answer 26

Doppler Effect refers to the change in wave frequency during the relative motion between a wave source and its observer.

Question 27

Definition of luminosity?

Answer 27

The brightness of a star.

Question 28

Definition of visible light?

Answer 28

The visible light spectrum is the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view

Question 29

Definition of wavelength?

Answer 29

The distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.

Question 30

Definition of absorption spectrum?

Answer 30

A spectrum of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through a substance, showing dark lines or bands due to absorption of specific wavelengths.

Question 31

Definition of blueshift?

Answer 31

The displacement of the spectrum to shorter wavelengths in the light coming from distant celestial objects moving toward the observer.

Question 32

Definition of absolute brightness?

Answer 32

The apparent brightness a star would have if it were placed at a standard distance of 10 parsecs from Earth.

Question 33

Definition of spectrograph?

Answer 33

A spectrograph is an instrument that separates incoming light by its wavelength or frequency and records the resulting spectrum, like a photographic plate.

Question 34

Definition of infared light?

Answer 34

A type of radiant energy that’s invisible to human eyes but that we can feel as heat.

Question 35

Definition of frequency?

Answer 35

The rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, usually measured per second.

Question 36

Definition of visible light spectrum?

Answer 36

The visible light spectrum is the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view.

Question 37

Definition of redshift?

Answer 37

The wavelength of the light is stretched, so the light is seen as ‘shifted’ towards the red part of the spectrum.

Question 38

Definition of apparent brightness?

Answer 38

How bright the star appears from Earth.

Question 39

Definition of electromagnetic radiation?

Answer 39

Electromagnetic radiation is energy that is transmitted at the speed of light through oscillating electric and magnetic fields.