PHYS 190 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Radio Astronomy, Reflecting Telescope, Optical Telescope
8 Feb 2018
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Document Summary
Light as a wave & as a particle. Effect of light behaving as a wave can be seen through colours on soap bubble. How light behaves depends on how you treat it. Light has both wavelike & particle-like properties. Sound waves - air pressure disturbances travelling through air from source to ear. Sound requires solid, liquid, or gas medium to carry it. Light - composed of combination of electric & magnetic waves that can travel through empty space. Unlike sound, do not require medium & thus can travel through a vacuum. Electromagnetic radiation - changing electric & magnetic fields travelling through space. & transfer energy from one place to another. Is a wave phenomenon - associated w/ periodically repeating disturbance (wave) that carries energy. Wavelength - distance b/w successive peaks/troughs of a wave. Changing electric & magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves travel through space at about 300 000 kilometres per second. Commonly referred to as speed of light.
