10.1 Questions

State one advantage and one disadvantage of using an incandescent bulb

Advantage: The tungsten wire that allows it to heat up and glow brightly is cheap to buy, although not to run. Disadvantage: Inefficient at producing light. Only about 5% of the electrical energy used in an incandescent bulb becomes light. The remaining 95% is lost as heat.

What is happening when a firefly glows?

Bioluminescence, a chemical reaction is occurring in the cells causing the yellow light to be produced.

Describe one difference between chemiluminescence and bioluminescence

Chemiluminescence is a chemical reaction while bioluminescence is in living cells, made by something that is living.

Compare phosphorescence and fluorescence

Fluorescence: The excited atoms release energy quickly. Generally fluorescence is brighter than phosphorescence. Phosphorescence: The excited atoms retain energy for minutes or hours. Both: Excite energy in a phosphorescent material and are luminescent meaning they produce light without heat.

Which region of the electromagnetic spectrum has short wavelengths? Describe some objects that you have learned about that have similar lengths.

Gamma rays Examples of objects with similar lengths include atomic nuclei and atomic particles.