Astronomy Chapter 2: – Flashcards
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Electromagnetic Radiation
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Another term for light, transfers energy and information from one to another
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Visible Light
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Small range of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes perceive as light
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Radio
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Region of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radiation of the longest wavelengths
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Infrared
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Region of the electromagnetic spectrum just outside the visible range, corresponding to light of a slightly longer wavelength than red light
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Ultraviolet
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Region of the electromagnetic spectrum, just beyond the visible range, corresponding to wavelengths slightly shorter than blue light
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X-Rays
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Region of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radiation of high frequency and short wavelength, far beyond the visible spectrum
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Gamma Rays
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Region of the electromagnetic spectrum far beyond the visible spectrum, corresponding to radiation of very high frequency and very short wavelength
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Waves
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Pattern that repeats itself in both time and space, characterized by the speed at which they move, their frequency, and their wave length
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Wave Period
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Amount of time required for a wave to repeat itself at a specific point in space
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Wavelength
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The distance from one wave crest to the next at a given instant in time
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Amplitude
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The maximum deviation of a wave above or below zero point
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Frequency
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The number of wave crests passing any given point per unit time
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Diffraction
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Waves ability to bend around corners, diffraction of light establishes its wave nature
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Interference
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Ability of two or more waves to interact in such a way that either reinforce or cancel each other
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Electron
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Elementary particle with a negative charge
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Protron
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Elementary particle with a positive charge
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Electric Field
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A field extending outward in all directions from a charged particle, such as a proton or an electron
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Magnetic Field
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Field that accompanies any changing electric field and governs the influence of magnetized objects on one another
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Electromagnetism
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The union of electricity and magnetism which do no exist as independent quantities but are in reality two aspects of a single physical phenomenon
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Speed of Light
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Fastest possible speed
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Electromagnetic Spectrum
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The complete range of electromagnetic radiation, from radio waves to gamma rays including a visible spectrum
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Opacity
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A quantity that measures a material's ability to block electromagnetic radiation, opposite of transparency
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Temperature
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A measure of the amount of heat in an object and an indication of the speed of the particles that comprise it
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Intensity
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A basic property of electromagnetic radiation that specifies the amount of strength of the radiation
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Blackbody Curve
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The characteristic way in which the intensity of radiation emitted by a hot object depends on frequency
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Wien's Law
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Relation between wavelength at which a blackbody curve peaks and the temperature of the emitter. Wavelength proportional to temperate, so hotter the object, bluer its radiation
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Stefan's Law
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Relation that gives the total energy emitted per square centimeter of its surface per second by an object of a given temperature
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Spectroscope
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An instrument used to view a light source so that it is split into its component colors
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Continuous Spectra
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Spectra in which the radiation is distributed over all frequencies
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Emission Lines
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Bright line in a specific location of the spectrum of radiating material, corresponding to emission of light at a certain frequency
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Emission Spectrum
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The pattern of spectral emission lines produced by an element
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Absorption Line
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A dark line in a bright spectrum, where light within one narrow frequency range has been removed
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Spectroscopy
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The study of the way in which atoms absorb and emit electromagnetic radiation
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Kirchoff's Laws
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Three runs governing the formation of different types of spectra
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Atoms
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Building block of matter, made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons
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Nucleus
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Dense, central region of an atom containing both protons and neutrons and orbits by one or more electrons
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Bohr Model
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First theory of the hydrogen atom to explain the observed spectral lines. Three ideas: State of lowest energy for the electron that there is a maximum energy beyond which the electron is no longer bound to the nucleus, and that within these two energies the electron can only exist in certain energy levels
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Ground State
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The lowest energy state that an electron can have within an atom
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Excited State
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State of an atom when one of its electrons is in a higher energy orbital than the ground state. Atoms can become excited by absorbing a photon of a specific energy or by colliding with a nearby atom
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Photons
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Individual packet of an electromagnetic energy that makes up electromagnetic radiation
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Element
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Matter made up on particular atom, the number of protons with the nucleus of the atom determines which element it represents
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Neutron
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An elementary particle with roughly the same mass as a proton, but which is electrically neutral
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Molecules
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A tightly bound collection of atoms held together by the atoms' electromagnetic fields. Molecules, like atoms, emit and absorb photons at a specific wavelength
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Doppler Effect
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Any motion-indued change in the observed wavelength (or frequency) of a wave
