Q&A Hero

Q: Compared to smaller clouds with small droplets, a big cloud with large droplets A) absorbs more light. B) is darker. C) is more likely to produce rain. D) all the above E) none of the above

Q: The whiteness of clouds, unlike the blueness of the sky, primarily involves A) medium sized particles. B) reflection and refraction of sunlight. C) seeds upon which condensation of cloud material forms. D) water prisms.

Q: The redness of the lunar eclipse is due to A) refraction of sunsets and sunrises all around Earth. B) infrared light continually emitted by the Moon. C) scattering of lower frequencies of light by the Moon. D) dim light that is incident upon the Moon by Jupiter and other planets.

Q: On a planet where atmospheric gases are yellow, distant snow covered hills would look A) bluish. B) greenish. C) yellowish. D) reddish. E) untinted.

Q: On a planet where atmospheric gases are red, distant dark mountains would appear A) bluish. B) greenish. C) yellowish. D) reddish. E) untinted.

Q: On a planet in the solar system where the sky normally scatters light of lower frequencies, its sunsets would be A) reddish. B) yellow-greenish. C) bluish. D) whitish.

Q: If molecules in the sky scattered orange light instead of blue light, sunsets would be colored A) orange. B) yellow. C) green. D) blue. E) none of the above

Q: Red sunsets are due to light of lower frequencies that A) are scattered from larger particles in the air. B) are scattered from smaller particles in the air. C) survive being scattered in the air. D) are reflected by clouds and relatively large particles in the air. E) appear reddish-orange to the eye.

Q: A setting Sun appears red due to A) scattering of lower frequencies by larger particles in the air. B) light's longer path through air at sunset. C) lower frequencies of light emitted during sunset. D) absorption by smaller particles in the air.

Q: Light travels slightly slower in the A) upper atmosphere. B) lower atmosphere. C) neither of these

Q: The atmosphere of Jupiter is more than 1000 km thick. From Jupiter's surface, the Sun at noon would appear A) white. B) faintly white. C) not at all. D) none of the above

Q: If the atmosphere were about 40 times thicker, the Sun at noon would appear A) red-orange. B) orange-green. C) green-blue. D) blue-violet.

Q: If Earth's atmosphere were appreciably thicker, snow would appear A) still white. B) yellow. C) blue. D) ultraviolet.

Q: Distant bright snowy mountains appear yellowish because A) they are far away. B) blue has been scattered away from light reflected from the mountains. C) the color yellow looks just right. D) of nature's wonderful preferences.

Q: Distant dark mountains appear bluish because A) they are far away. B) yellow is being scattered. C) you're looking at low-level blue sky between you and the mountain. D) of nature's wonderful preferences.

Q: A whitish sky is evidence that the atmosphere contains A) predominantly small particles. B) predominantly large particles. C) a mixture of particle sizes. D) water vapor. E) pollutants.

Q: The sky is blue because air molecules in the sky act as tiny A) mirrors which reflect only blue light. B) optical tuning forks that scatter blue light. C) sources of white light. D) prisms. E) none of the above

Q: The sky is usually the deepest blue A) just before a rainstorm. B) during a rainstorm. C) just after a rainstorm. D) just before sunset. E) when the air is humid.

Q: The physics underlying the redness of sunsets and the color of blue jays involves A) scattered sunlight. B) absorbed sunlight. C) different processes for sunsets and blue jays.

Q: The dimmest part of sunlight is A) red. B) yellow. C) yellow-green. D) green. E) violet.

Q: Which interacts more with high-frequency light? A) large particles B) small particles C) both the same

Q: Which interacts more with high-frequency sounds? A) large bells B) small bells C) both the same

Q: A mixture of cyan and yellow pigments appears A) orange. B) green. C) magenta. D) blue. E) blackish-brown.

Q: Magenta light is a mixture of A) red and blue light. B) red and cyan light. C) red and yellow light. D) yellow and green light. E) none of the above

Q: A mixture of red and green pigments appears A) orange. B) yellow. C) magenta. D) blue. E) muddy-brown.

Q: Look at full-color photos in your textbook with a magnifying glass and you'll see inks of A) red, green, and blue. B) red, green, blue, and black. C) magenta, cyan, and yellow. D) magenta, cyan, yellow, and black. E) none of these

Q: How many colors of ink are used to print full-color pictures? A) one plus black B) two plus black C) three plus black D) four plus black E) six plus black

Q: If only one color is absorbed in the pigment of a particular blue paint, that color would be A) red. B) yellow. C) green. D) blue.

Q: Colors seen on the cover of your physics book are due to color A) addition. B) subtraction. C) either of these D) neither of these

Q: The complementary color of blue is A) red. B) green. C) yellow. D) cyan. E) magenta.

Q: Complementary colors are two colors that A) blend together. B) are additive primary colors. C) produce white light when subtracted. D) produce white light when added. E) are right for each other.

Q: Stare at a red wall for a few minutes and then gaze at a white wall. Due to retina fatigue you see A) more red. B) cyan. C) black.

Q: The Sun is not seen as yellow-green because A) it is not yellow-green. B) it is small part of a mixture of other colors in sunlight. C) its brightness is only slightly greater than the other colors. D) our vision is not adapted to yellow-green.

Q: The brightest color in sunlight is A) red. B) yellow. C) yellow-green. D) green. E) violet.

Q: When red, green, and blue lights shine on a golf ball, the shadows cast are A) red, green, and blue. B) black. C) magenta, cyan, and yellow. D) none of the above

Q: Which is not a color? A) yellow-green B) black C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: If three primary colors of light shine on a white wall and produce a white spot, the primaries must be A) additive. B) subtractive. C) multiplicative. D) divisive.

Q: Colors seen on some TV screens result from color A) addition. B) subtraction. C) either of these D) neither of these

Q: The LEDs that make up the color on some TV screens are A) red, blue, yellow. B) red, blue, green. C) yellow, blue, green. D) magenta, cyan, yellow. E) red, green, yellow.

Q: The solar radiation curve is A) a dent in the spherical Sun. B) the path of the Sun as it circles Earth. C) a plot of Sun's brightness versus frequency of emission. D) a plot of sunlight colors versus their frequencies. E) a plot of light intensity versus temperature of the Sun.

Q: A fast-moving ball is more easily seen if it is A) red. B) orange. C) yellow-green. D) green-blue. E) violet.

Q: Light shines on a pane of green glass and a pane of clear glass. The temperature will be higher in the A) clear glass. B) green glass. C) both the same

Q: Which piece of glass will warm up quicker in sunlight? A) colored glass B) clear glass C) both the same

Q: A piece of glass that appears red A) absorbs or reflects all colors except red. B) transmits red. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: What color is fully transmitted in common window glass? A) red B) yellow C) green D) blue E) all of the above

Q: What color light is transmitted by a piece of blue glass? A) red B) white C) blue D) yellow E) orange

Q: If sunlight were green instead of white, the most comfortable color to wear on a cold day would be A) magenta. B) yellow. C) green. D) blue. E) violet.

Q: If sunlight were green instead of white, the most comfortable color to wear on a hot day would be A) magenta. B) yellow. C) green. D) blue. E) violet.

Q: A banana will appear black when illuminated with A) black light. B) blue light. C) red light. D) green light.

Q: A red apple will appear black when illuminated with A) blue light. B) cyan light. C) yellow light. D) magenta light. E) none of the above

Q: A blueberry will look black when illuminated with A) red light. B) yellow light. C) magenta light. D) cyan light. E) none of the above

Q: You can get a sunburn while under the "shade" of a beach umbrella due to A) reflected sunlight from the sand. B) refracted sunlight from the water. C) light scattering in the air. D) none of the above

Q: The color of an opaque object is the same as the light that is A) transmitted. B) absorbed. C) reflected. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: When the frequency of light matches the natural frequency of molecules in a material, light is A) absorbed. B) transmitted. C) reflected. D) none of the above

Q: Different colors of light correspond to different light A) velocities. B) intensities. C) polarities. D) frequencies. E) none of the above

Q: What characteristic of light mostly relates to color? A) frequency B) amplitude C) both of these

Q: Strictly speaking, to say that an apple is red means that A) an apple is red. B) it appears red. C) is, or appears makes no difference"red is red.

Q: Isaac Newton first became famous for his contributions to the understanding of A) the laws of mechanics. B) the law of gravity. C) light.

Q: Materials generally become warmer when light is A) absorbed by them. B) reflected by them. C) transmitted by them. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Metals are shiny because A) they reflect 100% of incident light. B) they are poor absorbers of light. C) their electrons vibrate to the oscillations of any incident light. D) none of the above

Q: Infrared waves are often called heat waves because they A) emanate from relatively hot sources. B) consist of frequencies lower than those of visible light. C) induce resonance in molecules and increase internal energy in a substance. D) are the predominant waves emitted by the sun.

Q: Glass is transparent to wave frequencies that A) match its natural frequencies. B) are below its natural frequencies. C) both of these D) neither of these

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

Q: When ultraviolet light is incident upon glass, atoms in the glass A) are forced into vibration. B) resonate. C) pass the light energy along practically undiminished. D) freely absorb and re-emit most of the ultraviolet light.

Q: Glass is transparent to A) infrared light. B) visible light. C) ultraviolet light. D) all of the above

Q: Compared to the photon that enters a pane of window glass, the photon that emerges is A) the same photon. B) an identical but different photon. C) an altogether different photon. D) none of the above

Q: Compared to its average speed in air, the average speed of a beam of light in glass is A) more. B) less. C) the same.

Q: The speed of light in the void between molecules in glass is A) more than its speed in a vacuum. B) the same as its speed in a vacuum. C) less than its speed in a vacuum.

Q: When visible light is incident upon clear glass, atoms in the glass A) are forced into vibration. B) resonate. C) convert the light energy into internal energy.

Q: The natural frequency of the atoms in glass is in the A) infrared part of the spectrum. B) visible part of the spectrum. C) ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

Q: If an electron vibrates up and down 1000 times each second, it generates an electromagnetic wave having a A) period of 1000 s. B) speed of 1000 m/s. C) wavelength of 1000 m. D) frequency of 1000 Hz. E) wavelength of 1000 km.

Q: If an electric charge is shaken up and down frequently enough A) sound can be emitted. B) light can be emitted. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: Which of the following cannot travel in a vacuum? A) a light wave B) a sound wave C) a radio wave D) all can E) none can

Q: The fact that you can see stars in the nighttime sky is evidence that A) our atmosphere is transparent to visible light. B) light can travel in a vacuum. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: Kids in elementary school get this right: Which color of light gets through red glass? A) red B) cyan C) none of these

Q: Which best shields you from sunburn when at the beach? A) a cloudy day B) a sheet of glass between you and the Sun C) frequent turning of your body D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Sunburns are produced by A) infrared light. B) visible light. C) ultraviolet light. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: A main difference between a radio wave and a sound wave is A) frequency. B) wavelength. C) energy. D) amplitude. E) medium or no medium.

Q: What is the frequency of an electromagnetic wave that has a wavelength of 300,000 km? A) less than 1 Hz B) 1 Hz C) more than 1 Hz

Q: What is the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave that has a frequency of 3 kilohertz? A) less than 1 km B) 1 km C) more than 1 km