Deck 13: Light Waves

Question 1

The main difference between a radio wave and a sound wave is their different

A) amplitudes.
B) wavelengths.
C) energies.
D) frequencies.
E) modes of travel.

Answer 1

modes of travel.

Question 2

Diffraction is a result of

A) refraction.
B) dispersion.
C) interference.
D) reflection.
E) polarization.

Answer 2

interference.

Question 3

The cones in the retina of the eye are

A) most densely packed at the center of vision.
B) concentrated along the periphery of vision.
C) uniformly spread along the visual field.

Answer 3

most densely packed at the center of vision.

Question 4

When the frequency of light matches the natural frequency of molecules in a material, light is

A) transmitted.
B) absorbed.
C) reflected.
D) none of these

Question 5

The part of the electromagnetic spectrum most absorbed by water is

A) ultraviolet.
B) lower frequencies in the visible.
C) higher frequencies in the visible.
D) infrared.
E) middle frequencies in the visible.

Question 6

Interference colors for light are analogous to

A) partial tones for sound.
B) resonance for sound.
C) Fourier analysis for sound.
D) the sonic boom for sound.
E) beats for sound.

Question 7

Things seen by moonlight usually aren't colored because moonlight

A) photons don't have enough energy to activate the retina's cones.
B) doesn't have very many colors in it.
C) is too dim to activate the retina's cones.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 8

Glass is transparent to wave frequencies that

A) are below its natural frequencies.
B) match its natural frequencies.
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 9

A red crab very deep in water, where sunlight is dim, appears

A) cyan.
B) orange.
C) red.
D) brown.
E) no color-black.

Question 10

Compared to radio waves, the velocity of visible light waves in a vacuum is

A) less.
B) more.
C) the same.

Question 11

The complementary color of blue is

A) green.
B) cyan.
C) yellow.
D) magenta.
E) red.

Question 12

The greenish blue of water is evidence for the

A) interaction between green and blue frequencies of light.
B) absorption of red light.
C) absorption of greenish-blue light.
D) reflection of red light.
E) reflection of greenish-blue light.

Question 13

Different colors of light correspond to different light

A) intensities.
B) polarities.
C) velocities.
D) frequencies.
E) none of these

Question 14

If a light signal and a radio signal were emitted simultaneously from Alpha Centauri, the first to reach Earth would be the

A) light signal.
B) radio signal.
C) both would reach Earth at the same time.

Question 15

Red sunsets are due to lower frequencies of light that

A) appear reddish orange to the eye.
B) are reflected by clouds and relatively large particles in the air.
C) are scattered from larger particles in the air.
D) survive being scattered in the air.
E) are refracted from larger particles in the air.

Question 16

Sunburns are produced by

A) visible light.
B) ultraviolet light.
C) infrared light.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 17

If the sun were to disappear right now, we wouldn't know about it for 8 minutes because it takes 8 minutes

A) to operate receiving equipment in the dark.
B) for light to travel from the sun to the Earth.
C) for the sun to disappear.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 18

Glass is opaque to wave frequencies that

A) match its natural frequencies.
B) are below its natural frequencies.
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 19

The natural frequency of the atoms in glass is in the

A) ultraviolet part of the spectrum.
B) visible part of the spectrum.
C) infrared part of the spectrum.

Question 20

What color light is transmitted by a piece of blue glass?

A) white
B) red
C) orange
D) yellow
E) blue

Question 21

Which interacts more with sounds of relatively high frequencies?

A) small bells
B) large bells
C) both the same

Question 22

The sky is the deepest blue

A) just before sunset.
B) just before a rainstorm.
C) just after a rainstorm.
D) when the air is humid.
E) during a rainstorm.

Question 23

The Earth's atmosphere is transparent to most waves in the

A) visible part of the spectrum.
B) entire electromagnetic spectrum.
C) infrared part of the spectrum.
D) ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

Question 24

Iridescent colors seen in the pearly luster of an abalone shell are due to

A) refraction.
B) diffraction.
C) dispersion.
D) interference.
E) polarization.

Question 25

What is the frequency of an electromagnetic wave that has a wavelength of 300,000 km?

A) 1 Hz
B) less than 1 Hz
C) more than 1 Hz

Question 26

If molecules in the sky scattered orange light instead of blue light, sunsets would be colored

A) yellow.
B) blue.
C) orange.
D) green.
E) none of these

Question 27

Consider light energy that is momentarily absorbed in glass and then re-emitted. Compared to the absorbed light, the frequency of the re-emitted light is

A) slightly less.
B) considerably less.
C) the same.
D) slightly more.
E) considerably more.

Question 28

The main difference between the retina of a human eye and that of a dog's eye is the

A) absence of cones in a dog's retina.
B) absence of cones in a human's eye.
C) more intricate optic nerve in a human's eye.
D) predominance of cones in a dog's retina.
E) none of these

Question 29

Complementary colors are two colors that

A) are additive primary colors.
B) look good together.
C) produce white light when added together.
D) are subtractive primary colors.
E) are right for each other.

Question 30

If sunlight were green instead of white, the most comfortable color to wear on a hot day would be

A) magenta.
B) blue.
C) violet.
D) green.
E) yellow.

Question 31

If sunlight were green instead of white, the most comfortable color to wear on a cold day would be

A) blue.
B) violet.
C) yellow.
D) green.
E) magenta.

Question 32

Red-hot and blue-hot stars appear white to the eye because

A) they are too dim to fire the cones.
B) eye receptivity peaks in the yellow-green part of the spectrum.
C) they are too dim to fire the rods.
D) the eye has difficulty seeing color at night.
E) they are overwhelmed by the blackness of the nighttime sky.

Question 33

When long-wavelength light is seen in the interference colors of a soap bubble, the wavelength being cancelled is relatively

A) long.
B) short.
C) neither

Question 34

Which of the following cannot travel in a vacuum?

A) a radio wave
B) a sound wave
C) a light wave
D) All can travel in a vacuum.
E) None can travel in a vacuum.

Question 35

Colors seen when gasoline forms a thin film on water are a demonstration of

A) reflection.
B) refraction.
C) polarization.
D) interference.
E) dispersion.

Question 36

Distant snow covered hills appear yellowish because that is the color of the

A) reflected light that survives scattering.
B) atmosphere between the observer and the hills.
C) selectively reflected light that reaches a distant observer.
D) sky that is reflected off the hills.

Question 37

The source of all electromagnetic waves is

A) changes in atomic energy levels.
B) accelerating electric charges.
C) vibrating atoms.
D) crystalline fluctuations.
E) none of these

Question 38

If three primary colors of light are to shine on a white wall to produce a white spot, the primaries must be

A) multiplicative.
B) additive.
C) subtractive.
D) divisive.

Question 39

Materials generally become warmer when light is

A) reflected by them.
B) transmitted by them.
C) absorbed by them.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 40

Interference is a property of

A) water waves.
B) sound waves.
C) light waves.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 41

On a planet where atmospheric gases are yellow, distant snow covered hills would look

A) yellowish.
B) greenish.
C) bluish.
D) reddish.
E) untinted.

Question 42

When visible light is incident upon clear glass, atoms in the glass

A) convert the light energy into internal energy.
B) resonate.
C) are forced into vibration.

Question 43

What is the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave that has a frequency of 3 kilohertz?

A) 1 km
B) more than 1 km
C) less than 1 km

Question 44

A variety of sunset colors is evidence for a variety of

A) elements in the sun.
B) primary colors.
C) apparent atmospheric thicknesses.
D) atmospheric temperatures.
E) atmospheric particles.

Question 45

The fact that you can get sunburned while submerged in water is evidence that water

A) transmits ultraviolet light.
B) absorbs infrared light.
C) absorbs ultraviolet light.
D) transmits infrared light.

Question 46

The brightest color emitted by the sun is

A) violet.
B) orange.
C) green-blue.
D) yellow-green.
E) red.

Question 47

If an electron vibrates up and down 1000 times each second, it generates an electromagnetic wave having a

A) wavelength of 1000 m.
B) wavelength of 1000 km.
C) frequency of 1000 Hz.
D) period of 1000 s.
E) speed of 1000 m/s.

Question 48

A mixture of cyan and yellow pigments appears

A) blackish brown.
B) orange.
C) magenta.
D) blue.
E) green.

Question 49

Which interacts more with light of relatively high frequencies?

A) small particles
B) large particles
C) both the same

Question 50

A whitish sky is evidence that the atmosphere contains

A) predominantly large particles.
B) water vapor.
C) pollutants.
D) predominantly small particles.
E) a mixture of particle sizes.

Question 51

A mixture of red and green pigments appears

A) blackish brown.
B) orange.
C) blue.
D) magenta.
E) yellow.

Question 52

The main difference between a radio wave and a light wave is its

A) wavelength.
B) speed.
C) frequency.
D) all of these
E) two of these

Question 53

The fact that light travels at 300,000 km/s is a consequence of

A) electromagnetic field induction.
B) energy conservation.
C) Maxwell's laws.
D) electromagnetic wave propagation.
E) none of these

Question 54

The sensation of color is seen when light falls on the eye's

A) cones.
B) rods.
C) both
D) neither

Question 55

The speed of light in the void between molecules in glass is

A) the same as its speed in a vacuum.
B) more than its speed in a vacuum.
C) less than its speed in a vacuum.

Question 56

How many colors of ink are used to print full-color pictures?

A) four plus black
B) two plus black
C) six plus black
D) three plus black
E) one plus black

Question 57

The worst thing you can do for the health of a green-leafed plant is to illuminate it with only

A) green light.
B) red light.
C) blue light.
D) All are equally naughty.
E) none of these

Question 58

The colored dots that make up the color on a TV screen are

A) red, green, yellow.
B) yellow, blue, green.
C) magenta, cyan, yellow.
D) red, blue, green.
E) red, blue, yellow.

Question 59

The color of an opaque object is the same as the light that is

A) reflected.
B) transmitted.
C) absorbed.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 60

Magenta light is really a mixture of

A) red and cyan light.
B) yellow and green light.
C) red and yellow light.
D) red and blue light.
E) none of these

Question 61

Light shines on a pane of green glass and a pane of clear glass. The temperature will be higher in the

A) green glass.
B) clear glass.
C) Neither-it will be the same in each.

Question 62

Interference colors in a soap bubble give evidence that the soap film

A) has two reflecting surfaces.
B) is thin.
C) both of these
D) neither of these

Question 63

Compared to ultraviolet waves, the wavelength of infrared waves is

A) longer.
B) shorter.
C) the same.

Question 64

Color depends on what characteristic of light?

A) its amplitude
B) its frequency
C) both of these

Question 65

The source of all electromagnetic waves is

A) vibrating charges.
B) heat.
C) electric fields.
D) magnetic fields.
E) none of these

Question 66

A blue object will appear black when illuminated with

A) magenta light.
B) blue light.
C) cyan light.
D) yellow light.
E) none of these

Question 67

The solar radiation curve is

A) a dent in the otherwise spherical sun.
B) a plot of the colors of sunlight versus their frequencies.
C) a plot of brightness of sunlight versus its frequency.
D) a plot of light intensity versus distance from the sun.
E) the path taken by the sun as it travels around the Earth.

Question 68

A sheet of red paper will look black when illuminated with

A) cyan light.
B) yellow light.
C) red light.
D) magenta light.
E) none of these

Question 69

Most of the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum are

A) red light.
B) green light.
C) blue light.
D) invisible.

Question 70

Diffraction is more pronounced through relatively

A) small openings.
B) large openings.
C) same for each

Question 71

A pair of sunglasses and a pair of clear reading glasses are left in the sunlight. The hotter glasses would be the

A) sunglasses.
B) reading glasses.
C) both
D) neither

Question 72

Colors seen on the cover of our physics book result from color

A) addition.
B) subtraction.
C) either of these
D) neither of these

Question 73

Which of these electromagnetic waves has the shortest wavelength?

A) ultraviolet waves
B) radio waves
C) infrared waves
D) X-rays
E) light waves

Question 74

A thin film appears blue when illuminated with white light. The color being cancelled by destructive interference is

A) green.
B) white.
C) blue.
D) red.
E) none of these

Question 75

Which will warm up quicker in sunlight?

A) a piece of clear glass
B) a piece of colored glass
C) both the same

Question 76

Which of the following is fundamentally different from the others?

A) light waves
B) gamma rays
C) X-rays
D) radio waves
E) sound waves

Question 77

What is the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave that has a frequency of 1 hertz?

A) less than 1 m
B) more than 1 m
C) 1 m

Question 78

On a planet where atmospheric gases are red, distant dark colored hills would look

A) bluish.
B) untinted.
C) greenish.
D) yellowish.
E) reddish.

Question 79

If the atmosphere were about 40 times thicker, at noon the sun would appear

A) green-blue.
B) blue-violet.
C) red-orange.
D) orange-green.
E) none of these

Question 80

If an electric charge is shaken up and down,

A) electron excitation occurs.
B) light is emitted.
C) a magnetic field is created.
D) its mass decreases.
E) sound is emitted.