Waves and Light
[ 44 minutes: low-resolution 4.8 MB, high resolution 19.3 MB ]

[00:00]Waves and Light
[00:01]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength
[05:41]Relating Energy to Wavelength
[06:14]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength (reprise)
[06:53]Relating Energy to Wavelength (reprise)
[07:15]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength (reprise)
[13:17]Atmospheric Transmission
[14:31]Radio Pollution
[16:14]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength (reprise)
[17:44]Ocean Waves
[18:08]Waves in Motion
[21:50]Changing the Wavelength
[22:05]Changing the Amplitude (Height)
[22:37]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength (reprise)
[29:38]Resonance I.
[30:20]Resonance II.
[32:28]Resonance III.
[34:04]Energy, Frequency, and Wavelength (reprise)

Learning Objectives

  1. Understand the concept of a wave, and describe common examples of wavelike behavior found in nature:

    1. The wave pattern caused by fans raising and lowering their arms in concert in a soccer stadium
    2. Sound waves moving through the air, or earthquake waves moving through the ground
    3. Music, where varying the length of a string or the length of a pipe produces a change in pitch
    4. Ocean waves, crashing up on the shore with a certain rhythm
    5. The wavelike pattern of a child's swing, moving forward and backward

  2. Visualize the major regimes along the electromagnetic spectrum, and connect them to our daily lives.

    1. Gamma-rays (high energy, emitted by unusual distant objects called gamma-ray bursters)
    2. X-rays (ideal for photographing bones underneath muscle)
    3. Ultraviolet radiation (emitted by the Sun, harmful to humans)
    4. Optical light (transmitted by our atmosphere, ideal for our eyes)
    5. Infrared heat (not visible, perceived as heat)
    6. Radio waves (low energy, where human technology pollutes the extragalactic sky)

  3. Comprehend how to characterize a wave by its energy, its frequency, its wavelength, or its color.

    1. Relate energy to frequency, frequency to wavelength, wavelength to color, and suchlike.
    2. Understand the effect of increasing the amount of energy per photon in a beam of light.
    3. Contrast with the effect of increasing the number of photons in a beam of light.
    4. Realize that though light can have different frequencies, it always travels at the same speed.

  4. Visualize the effects of driving a system (a bridge, or a child's swing) at its resonant frequency.


Copyright © 2006 Nicole P. Vogt. All rights reserved.