Lesson 1: Light and Radiation -- Outline
1.
Importance of electromagnetic radiation
- Almost everything we know about the universe comes from observations of radiation (remote sensing).
- Light is just one of several kinds (wavelength bands) of electromagnetic radiation
- Most kinds of e-m radiation cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere

2.
Basic properties of all types of e-m radiation
3. Spectrum of e-m radiation
- Wien's Law: hotter objects radiate shorter wavelengths
- Stefan-Boltzmann Law: relates radiated luminosity to surface area and temperature
- Three kinds of spectra: continuum, emission line, absorption line

4.
Atoms and Radiation
- Atoms emit photons when they are excited by colliding with other atoms in a hot gas

5.
Doppler Effect

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Last modified January 15, 2001;
Copyright by Richard McCray