UM Home |  Search   Advanced Search

Main  |  Events  |  News  |  Courses  |  Labs  |  Resources  |  Telescopes  |  Photography  |  History

Light and Colors

• Why does a red object look red? (3 possible reasons)

Light and Other Waves

• Does light travel in straight lines? (When doesn't it?)
• What is the wavelength of a wave?
• What is the frequency of a wave?
• Are the wavelength, frequency, and speed of a wave related?
• What is diffraction?
• What is interference?
• Is sound made of waves? What is the thing that oscillates in a sound wave?
• Is light made of waves? What is the thing that oscillates in a light wave?
• What are the similarities/differences between sound and light?

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Which of the colors of light has the longest/shortest wavelength?
• Which kind of electromagnetic waves have the longest/shortest wavelength?
• What is the difference between radio waves and light waves?
• What is the difference between red light and blue light?
• What is the difference between sound waves and radio waves?
• At what speed do visible light and radio waves move?
• Which types of radiation move at 300,000 km/s?
• Which types of electromagnetic waves can easily penetrate the atmosphere?
• If the Earth were always completely blanketed with clouds,
  could we get any information about other planets and stars?
• What is it that makes regular light visible to our eyes, but not other waves?

Effects Due to Distance and Motion

• If we were at three times our present distance from the Sun,
  how would the amount of solar energy we receive change?
• To make the Sun appear 9 times fainter than it does now,
  how would you change our distance from it?
• What is the Doppler effect?
• What can we use the Doppler effect for in astronomy?
• If a source of light moves toward or away from you, is there any change in the light you receive from it?