What is electromagnetic radiation?
Electromagnetic radiation consists of a set of radiation with a range of frequencies and energies that make up the electromagnetic spectrum. The radiation types include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays. Each type of radiation has a unique wavelength, frequency, and energy.
What is the dual nature of light?
Light is a form of energy that has properties of both a particle and a wave. Reflection is an example of light acting as a particle when photons bounce off a mirror like a ball bouncing off a wall. When light bends around an object (also called diffraction), the light is acting as a wave.
What is energy?
Energy is the ability to do work. Work is defined as the ability to exert a force causing the displacement of an object or particle.
What is wavelength?
One wavelength is the distance between two successive crests on a wave. Wavelength and frequency are inverses of each other.
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of waves that pass a given point in a given amount of time. Wavelength and frequency are inverses of each other.
How are electromagnetic waves and energy related?
The energy associated with a wave is directly proportional to the frequency of the wave. The higher the wave’s frequency, the greater the wave’s energy.
What is temperature?
Temperature is the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance.
How is the motion of particles related to temperature?
The higher the temperature, the greater the motion of the particles of a substance. The lower the temperature, the smaller the amount of particle motion.
What is insolation?
Insolation is the amount of solar radiation received over a given area.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect describes the way heat is trapped close to Earth's surface by certain gases found in the atmosphere. These heat-trapping gases can be thought of as a blanket wrapped around Earth, keeping the planet warmer than it would be without them.
Climate change is a hot topic on the minds of many people. While some debate the causes of the changes, the greenhouse effect clearly addresses how changes in the concentration of key gases in the atmosphere can lead to changes in the atmosphere’s average temperature. Get started now investigating radiation, energy, and gas concentrations.
