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85 terms waynesmith2 PHYS
1403 Mid Term
FLASHCARDS
From the center outward, which of the following lists the “layers” of the
Sun in the correct order?
core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere,
corona
Which layer of the Sun do we normally see with our unaided eye?
photosphere
How do human-built nuclear power plants on Earth generate energy?
nuclear fission
Hydrogen fusion in the Sun requires a temperature (in Kelvin) of
millions of degrees
At the center of the Sun, fusion converts hydrogen into
helium, energy, and neutrinos
The first step in the proton-proton chain produces an antielectron, or
positron. What happens to the positron?
It is rapidly converted to energy when it meets an ordinary electron,
resulting in matter-antimatter annihilation
The overall fusion reaction by which the Sun currently produces energy
is
4H –> 1He + energy
How do we know what goes on under the surface of the Sun?
By both creating mathematical models and measuring Doppler shifts.
Which statement best describes the solar neutrino problem?
Solar neutrinos have been detected, but in fewer numbers than predicted
by theoretical models.
What is the best possible solution to the solar neutrino problem?
The electron neutrinos created in the Sun change into another type of
neutrino that we do not detect.
What is the Sun made of?
70 percent hydrogen, 28 percent helium, 2 percent other elements
How are wavelength, frequency, and energy related for photons of light?
Longer wavelength means lower frequency and lower energy
From lowest energy to highest energy, which of the following correctly
orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation?
radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays
From shortest to longest wavelength, which of the following correctly
orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation
gamma rays, X rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radio
When an atom absorbs a photon containing energy, any of the following
can happen except which?
An electron moves from an upper energy level to a lower one
How can an electron in an atom lose energy to go from a higher energy
level to a lower energy level?
It releases a photon equal in energy to its own energy drop
If you heat a gas so that collisions are continually bumping electrons to
higher energy levels, when the electrons fall back to lower energy levels
the gas produces
an emission line spectrum
When an electron in an atom goes from a higher energy state to a lower
energy state, the atom
emits a photon of a specific frequency
When white light passes through a cool cloud of gas, we see
an absorption line spectrum
Spectra from neutral atoms compared with spectra from ionized atoms
of the same element
have different sets of spectral lines
Which of the following statements about thermal radiation is always
true?
