Lecture 12 – Light and Matter, Part 2/2
Summary / Checklist of the Main Concepts to Understand and Remember

Interaction of Light and Matter  
red bullet What do we mean by reflection and refraction?  
red bullet What is a photon?  
• What happens inside an atom when it absorbs a photon or emits a photon?  
red bullet Why can individual atoms absorb or emit only photons of certain specific wavelengths?  
• Are the wavelengths of the photons an atom can emit the same as those of the photons it can absorb?  
• What happens to light containing photons of all wavelengths when it goes through a gas?  
     
Spectroscopy  
red bullet What is an emission line spectrum? What kind of source of light produces an emission line spectrum?  
• What can we learn about a source if the light it emits forms an emission line spectrum?  
red bullet What is a continuous spectrum? What kind of source of light produces a continuous spectrum?  
• What can we learn about a source if the light it emits forms a continuous spectrum?  
• What happens to light with a continuous spectrum when the temperature of the source changes?  
red bullet What is an absorption spectrum? Under what circumstances is an absorption spectrum produced?  
• What can we learn about a source if the light it emits forms an absorption spectrum?  
     

Topics from the lecture page and textbook not listed above [or between square brackets] were not covered in class;
Underlined words indicate that I will expect students to remember a number or a name related to that topic.

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