ASTR 114 1st Edition Lecture 6Light The MessengerHow Experience Light• The warmth of sunlight tells us that light is a form of energy • We can measure the flow of energy in light in units of watts 1watt = 1 joule/s• White light is made up of colors, most of which we cannot see.What happens when light hits matter?• Emission • Absorption • Transmission Transparent objects - transmit lightOpaque objects - absorb light• Light interacts with matter at different frequenciesWave - A pattern of motion that ca carry energy without carrying matter along with it Wavelength - The distance between two wave peaksFrequency - The number of times per second that a wave vibrates up and down.Wave Speed = Wavelength x FrequenciesC = F x Wavelength(As the wavelength gets longer the frequency gets smaller)Wavelength x Frequency = Speed of light =
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