BIOL 1000 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Ommatidium, Thymine, Melanin
Document Summary
Define/explain key terms: electromagnetic radiation, wavelength of light, photon, pigment, photoreceptor, absorption spectrum, dna, eyespot, eye. Electromagnetic radiation: the sun converts 4 million tonnes of matter into energy every second. This energy is called electromagnetic radiation and travels at a speed of 1. 08*10^9 (speed of light) Wavelength of light: distance between two successive peaks of electromagnetic radiationthe longer the wavelength, the lower the energy of the photons it contains. When a photon of light hits an object it can reflect off the object, transmit through the object or absorb by the object. Pigment: molecules that are efficient at absorbing photons are called pigments. pigments absorb light at different wavelengths because of the differences in chemical structure. A pigments colour is the result of photons of light that it does not absorb . These photons are reflected off the pigment or transmitted through the pigment to reach your eyes. Photoreceptor: a sensory receptor that detects the energy of light.
