unit 3, exam 1 Flashcards
energy
ability of object or system to do work
temp
how we quantify energy of a system
absolute 0
never observed in natural world.
basically no energy
1st law of thermodynamics
energy never created or destroyed
conservation of energy
2nd law of thermodynaics
energy flows form regions of higher concentration to regions of lower concentration
electromagnetic radiation
transfer of energy in the form of waves that move at the speed of light
electromagnetic spectrum
devised to differentiate the varying properties of these waves according to wavelength
heat
the sensible component of energy moving from a higher (warmer)state to a lower(cooler) state
blackbody
an object that is a perfect absorber and a perfect emitter
no such objects but some are close (earth)
wiens displacement law
physical relationship describing the intensity of an objects emitted energy across the electromagnetic spectrum.
shortwave radiation
suns energy
longwave radiation
earths energy
flux
watts per square meter
stefan boltzmann law
total energy flux emitted by a blackbody across all wavelengths is proportioned to the fourth power of the absolute T of the object
E=o*T^4
global radiation budget
our way of keeping track of how radiation travels through the atmosphere on its incoming and outgoing travel
scatter
solar radiation dispersing forward, backward adn sideways after hitting a particle
relection
special case of scattering at the interface between two different media (such as air and cloud)
ex)sky blue, sunset red
albedo
fraction of radiation redirected (reflected) by some interface
dark surfaces
low albedo
white surfaces
high albedo
temperature gradiant
difference in T over a distance
circle of illumination
distinguishing line between day and night
aphelion
july earth is furthest form sun
perihelion
january earth is closest to the sun
