Topic 18: Interaction of Light with Matter

Question 1

What is reflection?

Answer 1

change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated

Question 2

What is light scattering?

Answer 2

form of scattering in which light in the form of propagating energy is scattered; deflection of a ray from a straight path

Question 3

What is Raleigh scattering?

Answer 3

the elastic scattering of waves by particles that are much smaller than the incident lights wavelength

Question 4

what is mie scattering?

Answer 4

describes the scattering of an electromagnetic plane wave by a homogeneous sphere; all wavelengths are scattered rather than only smaller ones

Question 5

What is light absorption?

Answer 5

process by which incident photon energy is taken up by matter

Question 6

What does the Beer-Lambert Law state?

Answer 6

absorbance is proportional to concentration and distance the light travels through the solution