Question 1

White light is ____ of electromagnetic radiation.
A) a single long wavelength
B) a single short wavelength
C) a mixture of all visible wavelengths
D) a mixture of all types

Accepted Answer

White light is a combination of all visible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

Question 2

On the average,as a cloud grows thicker (taller),which below does not occur?
A) More sunlight is reflected from the cloud.
B) Less sunlight is transmitted through the cloud.
C) Less sunlight is absorbed by the cloud.
D) More light is scattered by the cloud.

Accepted Answer

As a cloud grows thicker, it absorbs more sunlight due to the increased amount of water droplets or ice crystals, not less.

Question 3

Another name for diffuse light is
A) scattered light.
B) refracted light.
C) dispersion of light.
D) transmitted light.

Accepted Answer

Diffuse light refers to light that has been scattered in many different directions. Hence, another name for it is scattered light. Refracted light refers to light that has changed direction due to passing through a medium with a different refractive index, while dispersion of light is the separation of white light into its component colors through a prism. Transmitted light refers to light that passes through a medium without being absorbed or reflected.

Question 4

Which of the following would be true if the earth did not have an atmosphere?
A) There would be fewer hours of daylight.
B) The sky would always be black.
C) The stars would be visible in the sky during the day.
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The atmosphere scatters sunlight, which is why the sky is blue during the day. Without an atmosphere, there would be no scattering of light, so the sky would always be black. The stars would also be visible in the sky during the day because there would be no atmosphere to block their light.

Question 5

The sky will begin to turn milky white
A) when the concentration of ozone begins to reach dangerous levels.
B) when small particles such as dust and salt become suspended in the air.
C) when the relative humidity decreases below about ten percent.
D) on an oppressively hot day of the year.

Accepted Answer

The milky white appearance of the sky is caused by the scattering of sunlight by small particles in the atmosphere, such as dust and salt. This is often seen during hazy or smoggy conditions.

Question 6

Which of the following are capable of producing a red sunrise or sunset?
A) small suspended salt particles
B) volcanic ash
C) small suspended dust particles
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed are capable of producing a red sunrise or sunset. When the sun is low on the horizon, its light must pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere before reaching our eyes. This causes the shorter, blue wavelengths to scatter more, leaving the longer, red wavelengths to color the sky. Small suspended salt particles, volcanic ash, and small suspended dust particles can all be present in the Earth's atmosphere and contribute to this effect.

Question 7

Imagine that this piece of paper is illuminated with white light and appears red.You see red light because
A) the paper absorbs red and reflects other visible wavelengths.
B) the paper emits red light.
C) the paper reflects red and absorbs other visible wavelengths.
D) the paper disperses white light.

Accepted Answer

The paper appears red because it reflects the red wavelength of light and absorbs all other visible wavelengths. This means that the paper is not emitting any light on its own, nor is it dispersing white light. Choice A is incorrect because the paper is absorbing red light, not reflecting it. Choice B is incorrect because the paper is not emitting any light. Choice D is also incorrect because the paper is not dispersing white light, it is only reflecting the red wavelength.

Question 8

When the sun is near the horizon,the intensity of visible radiation reaching the earth's surface appears to be less than when the sun is directly overhead.Actually,the intensity of the visible radiation reaching the earth's surface is always the same.
A)true
B)false
C)only at the equator

Accepted Answer

Although the sun may appear less intense when it is near the horizon, the actual intensity of visible radiation reaching the earth's surface is the same due to the sun's constant output of energy. This phenomenon is due to the angle at which the sunlight hits the atmosphere and the distance it has to travel through the atmosphere to reach the surface. Therefore, the statement that the intensity of visible radiation is less near the horizon is false.

Question 9

If the earth did not have an atmosphere,the sky would appear ____ during the day.
A) white
B) black
C) red
D) blue

Accepted Answer

The Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight, causing the sky to appear blue during the day. Without an atmosphere, there would be nothing to scatter the sunlight, and the sky would appear black.

Question 10

Red sunsets,blue moons,and milky-white skies are mainly the result of
A) refraction.
B) dispersion.
C) reflection.
D) scattering.
E) diffraction.

Accepted Answer

Red sunsets, blue moons, and milky-white skies are mainly the result of scattering, which is the process by which small particles in the atmosphere, such as dust or water vapor, scatter sunlight in all directions, causing certain colors to be more visible than others. This is why the sun can appear red or orange during a sunset, and why the sky can appear blue during the day and milky-white during certain atmospheric conditions.

Question 11

Stars are not visible during the day because
A) the scattered light coming from the sky is too bright to be able to see the weaker light from stars.
B) the earth is pointed away from the center of the galaxy.
C) the light from the stars is absorbed and scattered by the atmosphere and does not reach the ground.
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

During the day, the scattered light coming from the sky is too bright to be able to see the weaker light from stars. This is known as atmospheric scattering, which is caused by the small particles in the Earth's atmosphere that scatter blue light from the sun in all directions. This scattered light overwhelms the light from the stars, making them difficult or impossible to see during the day.

Question 12

The sky is blue because air molecules selectively ____ blue light.
A) scatter
B) absorb
C) diffract
D) disperse
E) emit

Accepted Answer

When sunlight hits the Earth's atmosphere, air molecules scatter the incoming light in all directions. Blue light wavelengths are shorter and smaller, which makes them more susceptible to this scattering of light compared to other colors, which is why the sky appears blue.

Question 13

Air molecules selectively scatter visible light because
A) air molecules are smaller than the wavelength of visible light.
B) air molecules are much larger than the wavelength of visible light.
C) air molecules are the same size as the wavelength of visible light.
D) the electrons that orbit around the nucleus of atoms have a blue color.

Accepted Answer

Air molecules selectively scatter visible light because their size is smaller than the wavelength of visible light. This causes them to scatter shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue and violet, more effectively than longer wavelengths, such as red and orange. This is why the sky appears blue during the daytime, as the shorter blue wavelengths are scattered by air molecules in the atmosphere.

Question 14

The blue color of the sky is due to
A) selective scattering of visible light by air molecules.
B) the filtering effect of water vapor in the earth's atmosphere.
C) reflection of sunlight off the earth's oceans.
D) transmission of visible light through the ozone layer in the earth's stratosphere.

Accepted Answer

The blue color of the sky is due to the selective scattering of visible light by air molecules, a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. The shorter blue wavelengths of light are scattered more than the longer red wavelengths, causing the sky to appear blue to our eyes. This is why the sky appears reddish during sunrise and sunset when the light has to travel through more of the atmosphere, causing more scattering of the blue light and leaving more of the longer red wavelengths to be visible.

Question 15

The blue color of distant mountains is due primarily to
A) diffraction of light.
B) scattering of light.
C) refraction of light.
D) emission of light.
E) absorption of light.

Accepted Answer

The blue color of distant mountains is primarily due to Rayleigh scattering, which occurs when light is scattered by small particles that are smaller than the wavelength of light. This causes the blue light to scatter more than other colors, making the distant mountains appear blue.

Question 16

Refraction of light by the atmosphere is responsible for
A) scintillation of starlight.
B) mirages.
C) causing the sun to appear to flatten-out on the horizon.
D) increasing the length of daylight.
E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Refraction of light by the atmosphere is responsible for all of the given phenomena. Scintillation of starlight occurs due to refraction of light by the turbulent layers of the atmosphere. Mirages occur due to the refraction of light by layers of air having different temperatures. The apparent flattening of the sun on the horizon occurs due to refraction of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere. The refraction also affects the angle at which light reaches the surface, which can affect the length of daylight.

Question 17

What color would the sky be if air molecules selectively scattered only the longest wavelengths of visible light?
A) white
B) blue
C) red
D) black

Accepted Answer

The longest wavelengths of visible light are the red end of the spectrum. If only these wavelengths were scattered, the sky would appear red. This actually happens during sunrises and sunsets when the sun is low on the horizon, as the light has to travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere, causing the shorter blue wavelengths to scatter and leaving the longer red wavelengths to dominate the sky.

Question 18

On a foggy night,it is often difficult to see the road when the high beam lights are on because of ____ of light by the fog.
A) absorption
B) scattering
C) transmission
D) refraction
E) diffraction

Accepted Answer

Fog consists of small water droplets in the air. When light from the high beams encounters these droplets, it is scattered in all directions, making it difficult to see the road. Absorption, transmission, refraction, and diffraction are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 19

If the setting sun appears red,you may conclude that
A) the sun's surface temperature has cooled somewhat at the end of the day.
B) only the longest waves of visible light are striking your eye.
C) the next day's weather will be stormy.
D) you will not be able to see the moon that night.

Accepted Answer

When the sun appears red during sunset, it means that the shorter wavelengths (such as blue and green) have already scattered away and only the longer wavelengths (such as red and orange) are able to reach our eyes. This is because the light from the sun has to travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere during sunset, causing the shorter wavelengths to scatter away more.

Question 20

Which of the following phenomena is not produced by refraction?
A) halos
B) crepuscular rays
C) mirages
D) sundogs
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Crepuscular rays are caused by the scattering of sunlight by particles in the atmosphere, not by refraction.

Quiz 19: Light, Color, and Atmospheric Optics

White light is ____ of electromagnetic radiation.

On the average,as a cloud grows thicker (taller) ,which below does not occur?

Another name for diffuse light is

Which of the following would be true if the earth did not have an atmosphere?

The sky will begin to turn milky white

Which of the following are capable of producing a red sunrise or sunset?

Imagine that this piece of paper is illuminated with white light and appears red.You see red light because

When the sun is near the horizon,the intensity of visible radiation reaching the earth's surface appears to be less than when the sun is directly overhead.Actually,the intensity of the visible radiation reaching the earth's surface is always the same.

If the earth did not have an atmosphere,the sky would appear ____ during the day.

Red sunsets,blue moons,and milky-white skies are mainly the result of

Stars are not visible during the day because

The sky is blue because air molecules selectively ____ blue light.

Air molecules selectively scatter visible light because

The blue color of the sky is due to

The blue color of distant mountains is due primarily to

Refraction of light by the atmosphere is responsible for

What color would the sky be if air molecules selectively scattered only the longest wavelengths of visible light?

On a foggy night,it is often difficult to see the road when the high beam lights are on because of ____ of light by the fog.

If the setting sun appears red,you may conclude that

Which of the following phenomena is not produced by refraction?