Astronomy /Astro Chapter 3: Key Concepts
What is the relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity?
The relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity is, the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength.
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
What is the relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity?
The relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity is, the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength.
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What is diffraction, and how does it relate to the behavior of light as a wave?
Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves around an obstacle. It relates to the behavior of light as a wave because you can bend and block out...
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Compare and contrast the gravitational force with the electric force.
Electrostatic force is the force between two charges separated by distance while gravitational force is the force between two masses separated by a di...
What do radio waves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X rays, and gamma rays have in common? How do they differ?
All of the waves are a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Where they differ is only visible light is seen by humans, anatomy of their waves is diff...
In what regions of the electromagnetic spectrum is the atmosphere transparent enough to allow observations from the ground?
Your eye can detect visible light, which is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Also, radio frequency is how NASA communicates with people and objec...
What is a blackbody? What are the main characteristics of the radiation it emits?
A blackbody is an idealized object that absorbs all radiation falling on it. It also re-emits all this radiation. The hotter the temp, the shorter the...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What is the relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity? | The relationship between wavelength, wave frequency, and wave velocity is, the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. |
What is diffraction, and how does it relate to the behavior of light as a wave? | Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves around an obstacle. It relates to the behavior of light as a wave because you can bend and block out certain light waves. |
Compare and contrast the gravitational force with the electric force. | Electrostatic force is the force between two charges separated by distance while gravitational force is the force between two masses separated by a distance. |
What do radio waves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X rays, and gamma rays have in common? How do they differ? | All of the waves are a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Where they differ is only visible light is seen by humans, anatomy of their waves is different, not all make it through our atmosphere. |
In what regions of the electromagnetic spectrum is the atmosphere transparent enough to allow observations from the ground? | Your eye can detect visible light, which is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Also, radio frequency is how NASA communicates with people and objects moving in space. |
What is a blackbody? What are the main characteristics of the radiation it emits? | A blackbody is an idealized object that absorbs all radiation falling on it. It also re-emits all this radiation. The hotter the temp, the shorter the wavelength of the peak radiation. |
What does Wiens' law reveal about stars in the sky? | Wien's law reveals that if you can identify a star's color, then you can identify its photosphere temperature. |
What does Stefan's law tell us about the radiation emitted by a blackbody? | Stefan's Law relates the amount of radiation emitted by a blackbody to its temperature. The amount at all wavelengths depends upon the fourth power of the temperature. |
In terms of its blackbody curve, describe what happens as a red-hot glowing coal cools. | As a red hot glowing coal cools down its temperature decreases. According to Wien's Law, more and more of its radiation will be emitted at longer and longer wavelengths. According to Stefan's Law, it will emit less and less radiation as it cools. The net result is that it gets fainter and redder with time. |
How do astronomers use the Doppler Effect to determine the velocities of astronomical objects? | Astronomers use the Doppler effect to measure the line of sight velocity of objects by determining the known spectral lines that are shifted to longer or shorter wavelengths. |
Estimate the frequency of an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength equal to the size of the period at the end of this sentence. In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum would such a wave lie? | The wave equal to the size of a period at the end of a sentence would lie in visible light. |