Physics of Light and Matter

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Questions and Answers

What does the 12 in 12C mean?

The sum of protons and electrons is 12.

It is the twelfth element in the periodic table.

The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus is 12. (correct)

The atom has 12 protons in its nucleus.

How is the isotope 14C different from 12C?

It has more protons.

It has more neutrons. (correct)

It has more electrons.

It has a higher atomic number.

What happens when an electron in an atom jumps from a high-energy orbital to a lower-energy one?

The atom’s temperature decreases.

A photon of light is absorbed.

A photon of light is emitted. (correct)

The atom changes color.

What causes an electron to jump from a low-energy orbital to a higher-energy one?

A photon of light is absorbed. Signup and view all the answers

What kind of light can be detected from an airplane but not from the ground?

Only the shortest-wavelength infrared light. Signup and view all the answers

What kind of spectrum does a light bulb filament produce?

Continuous. Signup and view all the answers

Since each element has a different number of protons and electrons, what can be inferred about gases made of different elements?

They have distinct emission and absorption patterns. Signup and view all the answers

What can be concluded from a light curve showing that a star periodically dims and brightens?

There may be an orbiting body affecting the star's brightness. Signup and view all the answers

What is the source of Earth's magnetic field?

Magnetized iron in Earth's core Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of layered sedimentary rock on Mars suggest?

This region of Mars once held a body of water such as a lake. Signup and view all the answers

Which two celestial bodies show evidence of heavy cratering?

Mercury and Earth's Moon Signup and view all the answers

What is the lithosphere?

A relatively rigid outer layer of rock that lies above less rigid rock below Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes convection?

Hot material inside a planet rises, and cool material sinks toward the center. Signup and view all the answers

What age does radiometric dating give for Moon rocks and meteorites?

About 4 billion years Signup and view all the answers

Which two bodies have substantial atmospheres?

Earth and Venus Signup and view all the answers

Which four processes are fundamental in shaping planetary surfaces?

Tectonics, impacts, volcanoes, erosion Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about the Sun is not true?

The Sun is cooler than all other stars in the galaxy. Signup and view all the answers

What does the spectrum of a light source that is moving away from you exhibit?

Shifted to longer wavelengths (redshifted). Signup and view all the answers

Why does Venus have a higher average surface temperature than Mercury?

Due to an extreme greenhouse effect. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these statements about Mercury is incorrect?

Its night side temperature is cool enough to freeze water. Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of making telescopes larger?

Increased light-gathering ability. Signup and view all the answers

How does seafloor crust differ from continental crust?

Seafloor crust is thinner, younger, and higher in density. Signup and view all the answers

Why do we think the inner (terrestrial) planets became denser than the outer planets?

As the solar nebula collapsed, gravity pulled denser materials toward the center. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic distinguishes rocky asteroids from icy comets in the solar system?

Rocky asteroids are mainly located in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt. Signup and view all the answers

How can you identify the composition of a gas?

By analyzing its spectrum. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following most likely explains why Venus does not have a global magnetic field like Earth?

Unlike Earth, Venus does not have a liquid outer core. Signup and view all the answers

How do we know the Sun within our solar system is not a first generation star born right after the Big Bang?

There are elements present in our solar system that are only formed by stars that lived and died long ago. Signup and view all the answers

What type of telescope uses mirrors to form images?

Reflecting telescope. Signup and view all the answers

What is the solar wind?

Atoms and particles ejected from the Sun at high speed. Signup and view all the answers

Which numbered position in a plate tectonics diagram represents a place where new seafloor crust is being made?

Position 2 Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes the composition of seafloor crust compared to continental crust?

Seafloor crust is higher in iron and magnesium than continental crust. Signup and view all the answers

Which planets are considered jovian in nature?

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune Signup and view all the answers

What is true about the orbits of all planets in our solar system?

They have many different orbital inclinations. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does the thick atmosphere of Venus have on its geophysical properties?

It leads to a higher surface temperature due to the greenhouse effect. Signup and view all the answers

Asteroids are thought to be:

Leftover planetesimals from the inner solar system. Signup and view all the answers

Most asteroids orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt, which is located:

Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Signup and view all the answers

How do comets differ from asteroids?

Their orbits are usually much farther from the Sun. Signup and view all the answers

Where does the Kuiper belt lie?

Beyond the orbit of Neptune. Signup and view all the answers

What does the photo likely show?

An interstellar cloud that probably looks almost identical to the way the solar nebula looked about 4.5 billion years ago. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the image?

It shows an actual disk of material orbiting another star, providing strong evidence that planets really do form in such disks. Signup and view all the answers

What causes a red sweater to appear red?

The sweater is reflecting red light. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes what light is?

A kind of energy with some properties of waves and some properties of particles. Signup and view all the answers

If a leaf bobs up and down two times each second, what is true about the ripples on the pond?

They have a frequency of 2 hertz. Signup and view all the answers

Compared to red light, how does blue light differ?

Shorter wavelength and higher energy. Signup and view all the answers

What is the atomic number and atomic mass number of a carbon atom with six protons and seven neutrons?

Atomic number = 6; atomic mass number = 13. Signup and view all the answers

Which list orders the different kinds of light from shortest to longest wavelength?

Gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio. Signup and view all the answers

What seems to have made the very long cliffs on Mercury?

Cooling and shrinking when the planet became geologically dead. Signup and view all the answers

What incorrectly describes the relationship between frequency and wavelength?

Each frequency results in a fixed wavelength that does not vary. Signup and view all the answers

A red sweater appears red because

the sweater is reflecting red light. Signup and view all the answers

What is light?

a kind of energy with some of the properties of waves and some properties of particles Signup and view all the answers

Compared to red light, blue light has

shorter wavelength and higher energy Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following lists the different kinds of light in order from shortest to longest wavelength?

gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio Signup and view all the answers

Which travels fastest?

They all travel at the same speed. Signup and view all the answers

Which carries the most energy per photon?

gamma rays Signup and view all the answers

What happens to thermal radiation (a continuous spectrum) if you make the source hotter?

It produces more energy at all wavelengths and the peak of the spectrum shifts to shorter wavelengths. Signup and view all the answers

What is found in the nucleus of a Helium atom?

protons with a positive charge and neutrons with a neutral charge Signup and view all the answers

What does the 12 in 12C (pronounced "carbon twelve") mean?

The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus is 12. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following can happen when an electron in an atom jumps from a high-energy orbital to a lower-energy one?

a photon of light is emitted Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of convection?

Hot material inside a planet rises, and cool material sinks toward the center. Signup and view all the answers

Why do the lunar highlands have many more craters than the lunar maria?

All of the above. Signup and view all the answers

Suppose you watch a leaf bobbing up and down as ripples pass it by in a pond. You notice that it does two full up and down bobs each second. Which statement is true of the ripples on the pond?

We can calculate the wavelength of the ripples from their frequency. Signup and view all the answers

Consider an atom of carbon in which the nucleus contains six protons and seven neutrons. What is its atomic number and atomic mass number?

atomic number = 6; atomic mass number = 13 Signup and view all the answers

According to the laws of thermal radiation, hotter objects emit photons with

a shorter average wavelength. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about x-rays and radio waves is not true?

X-rays travel through space faster than radio waves. Signup and view all the answers

Since each element has a different number of protons and electrons and different energy levels for bound electrons, what can we conclude about their emission and absorption lines?

all of the above. Signup and view all the answers

The hottest star is one that appears

white or bluish-white. Signup and view all the answers

By looking at the light from an ideal thermal radiating source, you can tell

both a and b. Signup and view all the answers

If a source of light is moving away from you, its spectrum will be

shifted to longer wavelengths (redshifted). Signup and view all the answers

A mirror forms an image in

b and c. Signup and view all the answers

What are the primary reasons for making telescopes larger?

to collect more light to so faint objects can be seen Signup and view all the answers

What does better angular resolution mean?

you can see more detail in images Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is not true of Mercury?

Even on Mercury's night side, the temperature is hot enough to melt lead. Signup and view all the answers

Venus has a higher average surface temperature than Mercury. Why?

because its surface is heated by an extreme greenhouse effect Signup and view all the answers

Consider the following statement: "Rocky asteroids are found primarily in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt, while icy comets are found primarily in the Oort cloud." What's wrong with this statement?

The Kuiper belt contains icy comets, not rocky asteroids. Signup and view all the answers

What do we mean by accretion in the context of planet formation?

the growth of planetesimals from smaller solid particles that collided and stuck together Signup and view all the answers

What are the advantages of putting a telescope in space?

all of the above Signup and view all the answers

Which planets are considered terrestrial in nature?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true of the orbits of all the planets in our solar system?

They all orbit the Sun in the same direction. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the lunar maria?

relatively smooth, flat plains on the Moon Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary physical law responsible for the increased rotation rate of the solar nebula as it collapsed?

conservation of angular momentum Signup and view all the answers

Olympus Mons is

a huge shield volcano on Mars. Signup and view all the answers

This diagram represents the conveyor-like action of plate tectonics on Earth. Which numbered position represents a place where new seafloor crust is being made?

Position 1 Signup and view all the answers

What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?

The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object. Signup and view all the answers

Where do comets come from?

They are leftover planetesimals from the outer solar system. Signup and view all the answers

Which two bodies show evidence of heavy cratering?

Mercury and Venus Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Red Sweater Color

Red sweaters appear red because they reflect red light.
They absorb other colors of light.

Mercury Cliffs

The very long cliffs on Mercury are probably caused by the planet cooling and shrinking.
Other possible causes include volcanoes, earthquakes, or meteorite impacts.

Light

Light is a form of energy with wave-like and particle-like properties.
Light is often described as a wave, like sound.

Light Wavelengths

Blue light has shorter wavelengths and higher energy than red light.
Different types of light have different wavelengths (gamma, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio).
Light is sorted by wavelength: gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio waves.

Ripples in a Pond

If ripples cause a leaf to bob up and down twice each second, the ripples have a frequency of 2 hertz.
The wavelength of the ripples can be calculated from their frequency.

Carbon Atom

A carbon atom with 6 protons and 7 neutrons has an atomic number of 6 and an atomic mass number of 13.
Atomic number is the number of protons; mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons.

Thermal Radiation

Hotter objects emit photons with shorter average wavelengths.
The hotter an object, the more energy emitted.
The wavelength of the peak emission is shorter for hotter objects.

Speed of Light

All types of electromagnetic radiation (including x-rays and radio waves) travel at the same speed in a vacuum.

Telescopes

Telescopes in space avoid atmospheric interference, resulting in sharper images.
Telescopes in space can observe wavelengths of light that don't penetrate Earth's atmosphere.

Spectrum of Light

If a star's spectrum is hotter, it's peak will move to shorter wavelengths.
If a star's spectrum is cooler, it's peak will move to longer wavelengths.

Atomic Structure

Atoms are composed of a nucleus with protons (positive charge) and neutrons (neutral charge), and electrons (negative charge) around the nucleus.
The number of protons in an atom's nucleus determines the atom's atomic number.
The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus is the atom's mass number.

Isotopes

Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
14C differs from 12C because it has two more neutrons.

Solar Nebula

The solar nebula was a cloud of gas and dust from which our solar system formed.
The frost line marks the boundary where ice can condense in the solar nebula.

Planets

Terrestrial planets are primarily composed of rock and metal (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars).
Jovian planets are primarily composed of gas and ice (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).

Comets

Comets are composed mainly of ice and dust.
Comets often orbit the Sun at great distances.

Meteorites

The age of meteorites and lunar rocks is estimated at 4.5 billion years.

Lunar Maria

The lunar maria consist of less heavily cratered, darker regions on the Moon, formed by ancient lava flows.

Earth's Magnetic Field

The magnetic field is generated by the movement of molten metal in Earth's outer core.

Planetary Shaping

Impacts, volcanoes, erosion, and tectonics shape planetary surfaces.

Lunar Craters

The lunar highlands have more craters due to their older age of formation.
The lunar maria are less cratered as lava flow covered older craters.

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Description

Explore the fascinating concepts of light, its properties, and its interaction with matter. This quiz covers topics like light wavelengths, the behavior of colors, and the nature of atoms and planets. Test your understanding of these fundamental principles in physics.