4/9/2021 Assignment 4

Assignment 4
Due: 11:59pm on Monday, February 22, 2021
You will receive no credit for items you complete after the assignment is due. Grading Policy

Process of Science: The Solar Spectrum v2

Learning Goal:

To understand the basic features of an astronomical spectrum.

Introduction. The photo shows the

Sun’s visible-light spectrum. Note that
this spectrum is displayed in many
rows so that it fits on the screen, but in
principle it could have been spread out
as a single, long band from left to right.

Part A
Which of the following procedures would allow you to make a spectrum of the Sun similar to the one shown, though with
less detail?

Hint 1. What is a spectrum?

A spectrum of the Sun shows __________.

ANSWER:

the Sun as it actually appears to our eyes

light from the Sun that our eyes cannot see

sunlight spread out according to wavelength

ANSWER:

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Take a photograph of the Sun and then use image-processing software to change the Sun's shape into a long,
thin strip.

Pass a narrow beam of sunlight through a prism.

Photograph the Sun through a powerful telescope.

Compare the relative amounts of light that the Sun emits as infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet light.

Correct
The prism bends different wavelengths of light by different amounts, causing the white light from the Sun to spread
out into a rainbow of colors. Absorption features appear as dark lines against the brighter background of the
spectrum.

Part B
In the illustration of the solar spectrum, the upper left portion of the spectrum shows the __________ visible light.

Hint 1. How is wavelength related to frequency for light?

Which statement is true for light?

ANSWER:

The higher (longer) the wavelength, the higher the frequency.

The higher (longer) the wavelength, the lower the frequency.

Hint 2. What color of visible light has the longest wavelength?

The visible light with the longest wavelength is _____.

ANSWER:

blue

white

red

ANSWER:

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4/9/2021 Assignment 4

shortest wavelength

lowest speed

longest wavelength

highest speed

brightest

Correct
Red light is the longest wavelength visible light, and longer wavelength means lower frequency (because
wavelength × f requency = speed of  light ).

Part C
Which of the following best describes why the Sun’s spectrum contains black lines over an underlying rainbow?

Hint 1. Three basic types of spectra

The three basic types of astronomical spectra are

1. a continuous spectrum, which can be created by a hot, dense object;

2. an emission line spectrum, which is produced by a warm, low-density cloud of gas; and
3. an absorption line spectrum, which is produced when light from a continuous spectrum passes through
cool gas.

Hint 2. Which of the three types is the Sun’s spectrum?

The Sun’s spectrum is an example of a(n) __________.

ANSWER:

emission line spectrum

absorption line spectrum

continuous spectrum

ANSWER:

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The Sun produces a continuous rainbow of color, while the black lines are caused by atoms and molecules in
Earth's atmosphere.

The Sun’s hot interior produces a continuous rainbow of color, but cooler gas at the surface absorbs light at
particular wavelengths.

The rainbow colors represent emission by particular chemical elements, while the black lines represent gaps
where no element can emit light.

The Sun produces a continuous rainbow of color, while the black lines are caused by imperfections in the
instruments used to record the spectrum.

Correct
The Sun’s spectrum is an absorption line spectrum, which is produced when continuous light from a hot source
(the Sun’s interior) passes through a cooler cloud of gas (the gas that makes up the Sun’s visible surface).

Part D
Notice that the Sun’s spectrum appears brightest (or most intense) in the yellow-green region. This fact tells us
__________.

Hint 1. The two laws of thermal radiation

Any dense object like the Sun emits thermal radiation that is characteristic of its temperature. The two laws of
thermal radiation state the following:

1. Hotter objects emit more light (per unit area) at all wavelengths.
2. The peak wavelength of the emitted light is shorter (higher energy) for hotter objects.

ANSWER:

the chemical composition of the Sun

that the Sun’s surface consists of a layer of cooler gas above a hotter interior

that the Sun should appear yellow-green to our eyes

the approximate temperature of the Sun’s surface

Correct
One of the two laws of thermal radiation (Wien’s law) states that the peak wavelength of a spectrum is directly
related to an object’s temperature. A peak at yellow-green wavelengths corresponds to a temperature of about
5800 K.

Part E
Suppose we want to know what the Sun is made of. What should we do?

Hint 1. How are spectral lines produced?

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A spectral line is produced when __________.

ANSWER:

a gas particle moves toward or away from us at a particular speed

an object heats up

an electron in an atom, ion, or molecule gains or loses a precise amount of energy

ANSWER:

Precisely measure the intensity of light in each of the black lines in the spectrum.

Compare the wavelengths of lines in the Sun’s spectrum to the wavelengths of lines produced by chemical
elements in the laboratory.

Count the total number of black lines in the Sun’s spectrum.

Find the precise wavelength at which the background rainbow of color peaks in brightness.

Correct
Each chemical element (or ion or molecule) produces a unique set of spectral lines; the wavelengths of these lines
can be measured in the laboratory. If the Sun's spectrum contains the set of lines for some particular element, we
conclude that the Sun contains that element. We determine the Sun’s overall chemical composition by examining
all the lines in its spectrum.

Part F
Any spectrum can be displayed either in photographic form as shown to the left or as a graph. Which of the following graphs
could represent a portion of the Sun’s visible light spectrum?

Hint 1. How emission lines and absorption lines differ

An emission line appears as a bright line in a spectrum and is produced by many photons of the same wavelength or
energy; these photons have a particular energy because they come from a particular electron transition in a
particular atom (or ion or molecule).

An absorption line appears as a dark line in a spectrum and is created when many photons of the same wavelength
are absorbed on their way to Earth, so that light of this wavelength appears to be "missing" from an otherwise
continuous light spectrum.

ANSWER:

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Correct
The smooth part of the curve represents the graph of the background rainbow of color; the dips in the curve
represent the black lines where light is missing from the rainbow.

Prelecture Reading Question 5.17

Part A
According to the laws of thermal radiation, hotter objects emit photons with __________.

Hint 1.

You may find it helpful to watch the video "Thermal Radiation Laws."

ANSWER:

a lower average frequency

a higher average speed

a lower average energy

a shorter average wavelength

Correct
Higher temperature objects emit higher energy photons, which means shorter wavelength.

Problem 5.33

Choose the best answer.

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Part A
If you heat a rock until it glows, its spectrum will be:
ANSWER:

a thermal radiation spectrum.

an absorption line spectrum.

an emission line spectrum.

Correct

Prelecture Reading Question 14.04

Part A
The source of energy that keeps the Sun shining today is _________.
ANSWER:

nuclear fusion

nuclear fission

chemical reactions (fire)

gravitational contraction

Correct

Problem 14.29

Choose the best answer.

Part A
Which of these groups of particles has the greatest mass?
ANSWER:

a helium nucleus with two protons and two neutrons

four electrons

four individual protons

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Correct

Problem 14.46

Part A
If fusion reactions in the Sun were to suddenly cease, would we be able to tell? If so, how?

ANSWER:

There would be no more magnetic field of the Sun, if the fusion had ceased. Therefore, solar wind and cosmic
rays would disappear almost immediately.

If fusion reactions had ceased, we would no longer detect electron flux from the Sun. Electrons from the nuclear
fusion exit the Sun immediately.

If fusion reactions had ceased, we would no longer detect neutrinos from the Sun. Neutrinos from the fusion exit
the Sun almost immediately.

We would not be able to tell if fusion reactions had ceased. Photons and other particles generated by fusion
spend hundreds of thousands years passing the interior of the Sun.

Correct

Problem 5.30

Part A
Compared to an atom as a whole, an atomic nucleus is

ANSWER:

very tiny but has most of the mass.

very tiny and has very little mass.

quite large and has most of the mass.

Correct

Prelecture Reading Question 5.16

Part A

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Thermal radiation is defined as __________.

Hint 1.

You may find it helpful to watch the video "Thermal Radiation Laws."

ANSWER:

radiation in the form of emission lines from an object

radiation that is felt as heat

radiation produced by an extremely hot object

radiation with a spectrum whose shape depends only on the temperature of the emitting object

Correct
It's called thermal radiation because it depends on temperature.

Prelecture Reading Question 5.18

Part A
Suppose you want to know the chemical composition of a distant star. Which piece of information is most useful to you?

Hint 1.

You may find it helpful to watch the video "Interpreting a Spectrum."

ANSWER:

the Doppler shift of the star's spectrum

the peak energy of the star's thermal radiation

the wavelengths of spectral lines in the star's spectrum

whether the star's spectrum has more emission lines or more absorption lines

Correct
Different chemical elements and ions produce different sets of spectral lines.

Problem 5.34

Choose the best answer.

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Part A
The set of spectral lines that we see in a star's spectrum depends on the star's:
ANSWER:

atomic structure.

chemical composition.

rotation rate.

Correct

Score Summary:
Your score on this assignment is 100%.
You received 12 out of a possible total of 12 points.

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