Light – The messenger
Debi Prasad Choudhary
Los Angeles, 3/9/2014
When I came to north India for higher studies, I saw the
towers build on the side of the road from Delhi to Lahore. In seventeenth
century, these towers were occupied by the massagers to transmit reflected
light signal by a series of mirrors to convey the Empress in Lahore that the
Mogul Emperor, who lived in Delhi “had eaten his meal”. This was fascinating;
as in modern time we use similar technique to understand the stars by decoding
message they carry on leaving them. In past one hundred years we have learned
the origin and property of light that help us using light very efficiently in
many walks of our lives.
My high school head master shared a King
James Bible, where I found “And God said let there be light: and there was
light”. I wondered what color the light might be at that time? That was my
first exposure to a legitimate question on the origin of light, although the
answer was too simple. My first excitement came when I learned that light
originates from the tine units of matter known as atoms and also disappears
into them. In 1909, Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand born British Physicist
conducted a simple experiment to investigate the structure of these tine units
by shooting alpha-particles on to a thin gold foil screen. Alpha particles are
the core of helium atom. He found that most of the particles passed through and
only one in 8000 particles bounced back. The situation is similar to throwing
tennis balls on to the net that has bigger holes. Only few of them that strike
the net would bounce back. It became very clear that most of the mass of an
atom is concentrated at a minute portion called nucleus of the atom that has
same charge as alpha particle, which is positive. Negatively charged electrons
at comparatively large distances surround a neutral atom. If you compare an
atom with a football field, a grape fruit situated at the center is the nucleus
and the electrons are located at the periphery leaving the rest of the space
empty.
If the positive nucleus and negative electron
remain stationary, the atom would collapse, as they will attract each other, so
the electron must move around the nucleus. But, if the electrons, which are
negatively charged particles, speed up or change their direction of motion
while moving around the nucleus, they would loose energy and eventually fall
into the nucleus. In 1913, Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist depicted that atom
consists of nucleus consisting of positive protons and neutral neutrons at the
center surrounded by negative electrons that travel in orbits. As long as
electrons remain in a fixed orbit, they do not loose or gain energy. Light is
produced when electrons transit to an orbit near to the nucleus from the one
situated further away. They consume
light when electrons make reverse jump from closer to further orbit.
Elements such as hydrogen, helium, iron and
gold differ by the number of protons at their center or nucleus, which are
neutralized by same number of electrons circling them. For example in Hydrogen
there is one proton, in helium there two and in iron there are 26 protons. At
the center there are generally equal number of neutrons, which are similar to
protons but have no charge. Some times, there are extra neutrons in the nucle
producing isotopes. In heavy water, for example, the hydrogen has two neutrons
that are called deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen.
Color of light always fascinated me from very early ages.
Watching the flames of changing color as melted butter and herbs are offered to
the holy fire pit while chanting prayer with my father in the childhood, was
the beginning of my interest in understanding light. I was satisfied to know
that gods receive the offering in different parts of the holy pit through the
flames until I learned quantum physics. Nature of light remains the most
enigmatic of all times. The light behaves as a wave when it propagates and
interacts with other light waves. When it interacts with matter, it behaves
like a particle or a packet of energy, which was a Nobel Prize winning
discovery of Albert Einstein.
The light particles that are generated due to
the jump of electrons into different orbits, behave like waves of a particular
color as they propagate from one location to the other. The red color light
particles are of less energy compared to blue or green color. The neon light
displayed in shop signs display light of different color corresponding to the
these jumps among different orbits. I was impressed to see so much of color in
Neon lamps in Los Vegas city that bears the title of Neon City. The yellow
light in street lamps are produced due to similar process in sodium atoms. The
fluorescent bulbs in house also produce light with same process in mercury
atoms. When electrons jump in a reverse manner from a nearer to further orbit,
the atom absorbs a photon. This happens in by the atoms in the stellar
atmosphere by several atoms, some of which have lost a number of electrons.
Christian Doppler, an Austrian Physicist, in 1842
discovered a strange effect with sound waves that we notice when a fire truck
passes. When the truck approach us the pitch of the siren increase and
decreases when it goes away. The increase and decrease of pitch is due to the
decrease and increase of wavelength of sound waves that is cause due to the
motion of its source – the truck. The amount of increase and decrease depend on
the speed of the truck. The light waves also display same effect, which is
actually used by the traffic police to detect the speed of cars on free way.
The police transmit a light wave and detect them when they bounce back from
your car on the freeway. Measuring the difference in the change of wavelength,
they determine the speed of the car and give a ticket if your car exceeds the
speed limit.
The light from the stars or galaxies or other
astronomical objects are collected by the telescope and analyzed by the spectrograph located at their focal point to determine the amount of light in
different color present in them. This information can be used to find out what are
the substances present in these objects, how fast they move and many other
facts. The message that are carried by the light from the stars are
much more complex compared to what the Mogul Emperor used to send but the concept
is same. As the stellar message is complex, we spend millions of dollars to
make instruments to decode them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atom:
Atoms are very very small units of matter.
Mass of a hydrogen atom is 1.67 x 10-27 kg. A proton would be
0.0000016 nanometer or 1.6 x 10-15 meter. Multiplying it by a trillion (1012)
would give a size of a grape fruit seed!!
On looking at the results of alpha particle experiment Rutherford said:
It was quite the most incredible event that
has ever happened to me in my life. It was almost as incredible as if you fired
a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you. On
consideration, I realized that this scattering backward must be the result of a
single collision, and when I made calculations I saw that it was impossible to
get anything of that order of magnitude unless you took a system in which the
greater part of the mass of the atom was concentrated in a minute nucleus. It
was then that I had the idea of an atom with a minute massive center, carrying
a charge [1].
—Ernest Rutherford
[1] David C. Cassidy, Gerald James Holton, Gerald Holton,
Floyd James Rutherford, (2002) Understanding Physics Harvard Project
Physics Published by Birkhäuser, p. 642 ISBN 0-387-98756-8, ISBN 978-0-387-98756-9
Hello professor, I really enjoyed your blog regarding you interest in colors of light from a very young age. I, as well, was interested particularly in the color of fire, how it transitions from dark orange to dark blue in regards to the matter it burns. Perhaps it is as a result of the amount of energy depicted within the substance that causes such a drastic change of color, just as you have mentioned earlier as opposed to the low-energy red color.
ReplyDeletei really like your blogs professor , you make them easily understandable. For instance your tennis ball metaphor helped me to retain the information because I was able to really picture it. I always wondered how they measured cars speed and now you've answered it for me.
DeleteI enjoy the facts you provided about light as well as the religious implications of light. I also enjoyed the part about the spectrum of color of light.
DeleteI always like the childhood stories that get tied into the blog. I thought the tennis ball metaphor was really cool and that really made it click for me. I remember learning some of these facts in high school, such as protons and electrons. However, this was very informative and learned a lot. I liked how you tied it all together in the end with light and telescopes.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Alan Arellano - ASRT152
ReplyDeleteAs Brianna said, the tennis ball metaphor helped me better understand what is being said in this post. I've never been one to easily understand talk of protons, electrons, and elements. Yet, this post makes that easy to learn, and fun to know about as well. Plus, all the talk of lights, and you once again bringing up your past, made the post even more interesting.
Joseph Wright ASTR152
ReplyDeleteI thought this blog was very interesting. My reason for thinking this is because of the firetruck siren discovery. I had no idea that this had everything to do with the increase and decrease of the wavelength depending on the speed of the truck. I was under the impression that a police officer had to be parked and waiting with a radar gun to catch someone speeding. Now that I no they can just measure the difference of change in wavelength in order to give out a ticket, I will definitely be more careful on the road! Overall, I loved your post.
Edic Rangel online Astro 152
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting learning about your childhood and pass experiences. The part that caught my attention the most was when you talked about the fire truck. I learned that wave length has to do why the siren's pitch increases when its near us and decreases as it leaves. It is also helpful that you mention how police officers determine your speed, while on the road. Maybe that will encourage people to slow down a bit. Overall, thanks for your post
This blog post was so fact-heavy! There were lots of new things that I learned by reading this post, like the fact that an atom is sooooo small and how your question of what color light was in Genesis also made me think! Also, the way police officers detect a speeding car is so crazy! I would always ask myself how they would obtain the speed limit by using their radar gun but now it makes sense that they use a light wave and wait for it to bounce back! So crazy!!
ReplyDeleteDuong Sam Online Astr 152
ReplyDeleteI found this blog very fascinating. I like the metaphor that you use for light when you tried to explain how the atoms would bounce back from the foil with the tennis ball and net. I haven't learn much about light particles, but I did learn about matters and the atom itself such as the protons, neutrons, and electrons that surrounds the nucleus. However, the information that you provided was informative to me and I learned a lot. Such as that red light is of less energy compared to green and blue colors. It's really cool how the telescope collects the light from the stars, galaxies, or other astronomical objects are analyzed by the spectrograph at the focal point to determine the amount of life light in different color present in them; which can help us find out what are the substances present in these objects, how fast they move and many other facts.
Christian Estrada - ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I thought the metaphor between the wavelengths and a fire truck is absolutely fantastic. I think it's a great way to properly show and explain the relations that happen in space with things that are easy to comprehend. I think it's a great explanation for the physics involved in how these processes occur out on the sun. Thank you!
This blog post was more scientific about laying out the facts on how light is produced. Some information was new to me from past science classes taken and some facts were new. At least for me, I never really thought about light being so scientific. Every morning I wake up and there is light; though I never thought much more about that. It was interesting reading about how police officers use the hand machine to see passing vehicles' speeds. I would have never guessed that light waves were used to detect the miles per hour.
ReplyDeleteElin Madadian - ASTR 152OL
ReplyDeleteIt is always so fascinating to read about your childhood experiences. I always found myself fascinated with the colors of light as well. I would stare into the fire pit and wonder why sometimes flames look blue, or red, or orange, or yellow and what caused them to change. It is so interesting to see how many aspects of nature and science light effects.
Skylar Keck
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy hearing about your childhood experiences. Thank you for always sharing those, it takes me back to when I was a little kid. I remember this lesson from my high school physics class. It is still really hard to believe how incredibly small protons are.
This blog gave me a lot to think about. There were many interesting fact that I had no idea about. One of the interesting part for me was how police officers detect the speed. I had always wander about it but never done research about it. Another fascinating part for me was the metaphor between the wavelength and a fire truck which I found truly amazing. Your blogs are intellectually developing students.
ReplyDeletei find it so interesting that all thing in the world have atoms and in the ceter of those molecules are all the same. It shows how much we are linked together. Also that fact that you can hear where a siren is by the wavelength and the sound of where it is.
ReplyDeleteI liked the part about the color of light and how it changes depending on the jumping of electrons during orbit. Reading the section about neon signs helped me to better understand this idea.
ReplyDeleteFelicita Penas
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
WOW!! this blog is filled with VERY useful information that we humans take for granted each and every day. Who new that the light phenomenon would be SO complex and abstract??? I am still trying to wrap my head around all the different terms that came across me. Learning about the origins of light is quite fascinating. However, I have yet to comprehend it all. Something that really stood out to me is "light waves" detection used by traffic police. If it is possible may you please explain that further, professor?
Melissa Khan
ReplyDeleteAST 152
These blogs are always so interesting. Its always good to read about the new developments of the world. I love how you always tie your personal experiences into the blogs as well.
Ana Avalos Online AST 152
ReplyDeleteAlthough I read the blog late, I learned a bit more. The part of " The amount of increase and decrease depend on the speed of the truck" was interesting. Its amazing how astronomy consists of pretty much every type of science!
Taylor Hobson
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
Reading this blog I really enjoyed the examples you used because it was much easier to grasp when you compared it to real life scenarios. It might be that I really like neon colors but the sentence that caught my attention the most is when you talked about the Neon lamps. I had no idea until after reading this blog that the process was very much similar to the process in sodium atoms.
Wei Hung Lai AST 152
ReplyDeleteThis week's bog is very fascinating, talking about the light. "God said let there be light: and there was light." This is very interesting. I really like the example in every blog. It always surprise me when something new comes out.
Mandy Leung ASTR 152 Online
ReplyDeleteLight has always been a great way to get someone to pay attention or even get attention. The red lights on a firetruck or a bright shooting star, it all has a bright light that gets people "oohing and awing". I really like this blog because it was so interesting with how you describe the lights you saw at a very young age. They are always so fun to watch. At a young age, I was also very interested in lights, I have to admit, I am still interested in them.
I was also fascinated how lights work and the different style colors there are. When you mentioned “let there be light” I remembered the day my contractor was installing lights in my room and instead of saying turn on the switch he would say let there be light. And boom whatever type of bulb we had gotten would shine the room. Also it is pretty interesting to find out why a fire has multiple colors that are black, orange and blue. The fire truck sirens is pretty common sense because when it is close to you, the siren sound is louder and when it is further away, of course it will be quieter as it goes further away. Knowing that the wavelength is getting further away which is causing the sound to be quieter and louder is pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs always, I have learned a lot of new things while reading you’re the blog post. One of them is to learn that the amount of energy depicted within the substance causes a drastic change of color. Also, thanks for sharing your childhood stories.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely enjoyed reading your blog. The blog introduced many new comparisons and facts. In the eighth grade I remember studding about the Rutherford gold foil experiment. The example of tennis balls made it more simple to remember the concept. Many times is becomes difficult to remember scientific terms and happenings, but these type of comparisons make it a little simpler. Another fantastic point was made when a fire truck and wavelength were compared. I had an idea that the increase and decrease of pitch is due to the decrease and increase of wavelength of sound waves, but the amount of increase and decrease depends on the speed of the truck was something new I gained knowledge of. It was surprising to find out that traffic police use light waves to detect the speed of cars on free way.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gonzalez
ReplyDeleteASTR 152 - ONLINE CLASS
Hi Professor,
Your blogs are always interesting - I like getting your insight and personal thoughts on the origins on light (especially since you were a young child) which are the time units of matter such as atoms. Most of the particles pass through and only one in 8000 particles bounce back when you shoot alpha-particles onto a thin gold foil screen. Like you mentioned, most of the mass of an atom is concentrated at the nucleus of the atom- both the atom and alpha particle have a positive charge. To help us understand, I really liked your tennis ball example.
I never really thought about light behaving like wavelenghts and that is how police officers are able to detect people who are speeding. I basically works the same way that sounds waves work. The police transmit a light wave and are basically able to detect speed by how the change in light wave bounces back from your car.
Your blog always ties our lecture material and makes it more clear. Thank you for the metaphors you used they really help clarify the material and helps makes it more fun the actually pay attention and tie this blog and our course together.
ReplyDeleteLike always, I am amazed with your childhood stories and experiences. It seems to have been a great influence on who you are today and probably helped in deciding what you wanted to do. I liked how you explained the atoms and how you used the tennis ball as an example.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see just how much electrons and electrons matter in terms of function within the nucleus. To think that their motion is responsible for the outcome of the nucleus is impressive. Again, in terms of color it is strange to learn how red color light has less energy than those of the blue and green category. It just seems more standard for it to be vice versa, but I have learned that this is not the case in terms of astronomy.
ReplyDeleteThis article, like the rest, was quite enlightening. I didn’t understand clearly that Alpha particles are the core of a helium atom, or how interesting the experiment was that the particles took place in. Everyone learns about protons, neutrons, and electrons early in school but your article definitely opened my eyes up to how they interact. The nucleus of the atom is like a kitchen sink, with the electron being the only thing stopping the protons and neutrons from losing energy as the electrons move around. The fact that collisions cause light wasn’t apparent to me before reading the article. The effects of neon lighting and the relationship between temperature and color, too, have always fascinated me.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting how you described light and how it works. Your childhood stories are always enjoyable also. The metaphors you used in this blog helped keep it interesting and easy to understand. Everyday we just see light and think nothing of it, when in reality it is so complex. I never thought of light as wavelengths. I have always wondered how people discovered how electrons, neutrons, and protons work and what they are. Another great point that you made was how a fire truck and wavelength can be compared. I had an idea that the increase and decrease of pitch is due to the decrease and increase of wavelength of sound waves, but the amount of increase and decrease depends on the speed of the truck was something new I gained knowledge of.
ReplyDeleteThis is Robert Braden Villa from ASTR 152 Online. I found this post interesting but difficult to follow all of it. I get now how a police officer can know how fast you are going even when he is coming toward you face to face. I enjoy thinking about the colors of light and flames. Learning about light and the protons, electrons and neutrons that make light is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Choudhary,
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very informative. However I enjoyed it, I like how you incorporate the history of Astrology into your blogs.
I also like the comparison to a grapefruit in the middle of a football field, it was a great way to put my mind into perspective of what a nucleus actually is. Thanks Professor.
Sincerely,
Richard Burson
Caitlen Diab ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteLight is a subject that really gets me thinking. It's very difficult to think about how light travels, why we don't see it actually traveling, how different colors of light are formed, etc. When I took chemistry in high school we touched upon the subject a bit, but we didn't go in depth. I like that this article is able to clearly explain the light phenomenon and offers so much information that is very useful.
We don't put too much thought into lights because to us, it's kind of "just there. We don't see it travel and change, it's just something that happens. It's a very fascinating subject, really.
Thank you so much for all of this wonderful & helpful information!
alison jimenez 152
ReplyDeleteCurious to ask your saying the amount of energy put on the atoms on negatives with positives make them attract more and create much stronger energy waves?
cause and effect the sirens cause the flashing lights to move or pertain a certain motion together?
I had no idea that is how police are able to scan for speed! That is an interesting fun fact! I also did not realize that the telescope picks up on colors that scientists are then able to interpret what substances are present.
ReplyDelete-Katlin Moody
Hi professor, I'd like to say that the example of the fire truck as it passes makes so much sense! Also, I've always been curious with colors and light as well. I still remember that in High School, a physics teacher told me that basically nothing has a real color. When we turn the lights off, we don't see any colors, we see nothing. These concepts are definitely very interesting.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Garay
AST 152 online
Jessica Ovsepian
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
I found this article interesting because I too have always had an interest in colors of light. The tennis ball metaphor really helped me understand better. The post did a good job overall explaining protons, electrons, and elements in an effective way and was very informative. I learned a lot from this post and always enjoy how you connect your posts with your childhood.
I never knew that atoms were just pure space, when this was introduced to me in grade school I always thought that an atom was so small and compact never did it occur to me that it was just pure space between the nucleus and the electrons. I also found fascinating the making of a police radar, I would have never guessed that it was a light wave that detected our speed. I once did an experiment in high school with fire and we used different chemicals to place over the fire and as a result the light would change colors, now it makes more sense as to why the light was able to change colors and this explanation is more detailed and clear.
ReplyDeleteYanin Peaches Ortega
ASTR 152 Online
I really liked this article because the subject is so interesting. I find it mind blowing that humans can tap into the power of light and use its wavelengths to detect how fast a car is traveling. This was a very interesting and informative article.
ReplyDeleteAram Teroganesyan
ReplyDeleteThis was another interesting article. I never knew that is how police are able to scan for speeding. I learned a lot about protons and electrons. I learned a lot from this article about information I did not know before.
Astr152 online- yeseul Kim
ReplyDeleteI am amazed with your childhood stories and always thankful for reading them. And an interesting fact was that atoms were just pure space!
Arjun Mudhar ASTR 152OL
ReplyDeleteLight being caused by electrons jumping into different orbits is truly fascinating. Neils Bohr's description of atoms help me visualize how active light particles are. Also, being able to manipulate the color of light by using chemicals is interesting. This allows scientists to understand what substances are present through telescopes.
Wow! I never actually knew light was such a big and important factor. I have never actually thought about light. This blog was very informative and I especially enjoyed reading the part where you explain in Las Vegas, how there is a variety of colors in the Neon city. Which is produced by similar sodium atoms.
ReplyDeleteAstr 152 Online
ReplyDeleteErika Pina
I found this article piece interesting because I did not know that the stars in the sky were used as hidden messages. I also did not know that light is produced when electrons move to the opposite side of the orbit father away. Each types and color of lights contain similar atoms and have different energies that reflect on each other.
hello professor,
ReplyDeleteI find it so fascinating that atoms are mostly made up of empty space. This makes me think about how we perceive reality and how most of everything around us is just empty space. All matter is made up of atoms and atoms consist of vibrating electrons (I may not be completely accurate with this statement, but I get the general idea)so this must mean that all matter is vibration at a deeper level. How is it that we perceive something to be solid in this case then? These are questions that intrigue me. Also, I would love to learn more about quantum physics.
It is always great to read these blogs. I enjoy reading the cultural aspect of astronomy. I plan on using your metaphor to explain this reaction to my friends.
ReplyDeleteLight has always been interesting to me everything from it's speed to it's unique properties. I did not know it had similar properties to sound, but upon reading your blog it made more sense to me.
ReplyDelete-Erick Fernandez
ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteRaymond Banting
I did not really understand how light was produced before reading your article. Your article made me think about Aurora Borealis the northern lights. It is interesting to think that gas particles colliding can create various colorful lights. Hopefully in the near future I can visit Alaska to watch these lights.
ASTR152
ReplyDeleteJocelyn Medrano
I found it very much interesting how you describe the way that light works that i didnt know or understand before. Also how atoms are small particles that take so much empty space that are not able to be seen. Reading your blogs always make me understand a little bit more of each concept.
Comparing an atom to a football field gave me a good visual, as well as when you used a grapefruit as an example as the nuclei. I like how you mention things like that because it helps visualize and helps better understand the material.
ReplyDelete-ASTR 152
Once again, I found the cultural aspect of this lesson to be very enlightening and interesting. The metaphors you provide always help my understanding of the new astronomy concepts. I already know what a proton is, what a neutron is, and what an electron is, but it was good to review their purposes and learn how they interact with one another. I also enjoyed reading about how light travels, why we don't see light when it's traveling and how colored lights form.
ReplyDeleteGrace Doyle
ReplyDeleteASTRO 152
I always enjoy when you add stories from your childhood. Its very entertaining. I liked the review of protons and electrons. Its been a while since i took a science class so it was nice to have a refresher. plus i really enjoined the metaphors for them. i also liked the lesson about sound waves. I didn't know that's how they knew i was speeding. very interesting.
This part of the lesson brings me back to my chemistry days. I love learning chemistry so when I started reading this I realized it was a good read. It was interesting to learn about the lights and where they come from. I also thought it was learning about how the police officers devices work. Thanks for posting Professor!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I was fascinated at watching the different colors of the fire when I would throw in different items at the fire pit. I am aware of atoms, neutrons, protons,etc but it was a very good refresher on what I had learned about them in high school. One night I heard the sirens of an ambulance, as the noise got louder I knew it was getting closer and I was able to see the flashing lights that came along with the loud sound. As it started to drive away the noise of the sirens slowly drifted away until I could no longer hear them. I find it brilliant having a siren with lights and loud noises so that people are aware and warned as to what is approaching them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of light I don’t necessarily think of the color the light is, all I know it that light illuminates. That’s why I found it interesting how light can be in many colors, but they all still illuminate. Light is extremely important to us, without the sun we wouldn’t have daylight to be able to do things in the day and without fire before light bulbs was a form of how we had light to do things with. What I didn’t realize is that atoms have to do with the colors of light. It makes sense that we hear things louder as they get closer to us and as they leave we hear them less because wavelength of sound waves that is cause due to the motion of its source. It’s strange how we can decode messages carried by the light from the stars, but that just shows how important light can for us to learn and investigate things.
ReplyDelete- Yadira Morales-Chinchilla (ASTR 152)
As usual your blog post are interesting. I like how you can always connect this to your personal life and experiences. I learned that wave length has to do why the siren's pitch increases when its near us and decreases as it leaves. Also what is empty space is made of. Like neutrons, protons, and electrons. Its crazy how light waves detect the miles per hours.
ReplyDelete-Jazzlin Hernandez.
Hello professor, my name is Maria Figueroa and I am in your 152 Astronomy online class. I found this blog very interesting and mostly because you included your childhood stories. Every time you mentioned them. it reminds me of how I used to think when I was little. In addition, one thing that I found really interesting in this blog its that Light is caused by electrons jumping into different orbits. Also, its quite amazing that lights can be produce in many colors. I have always been curious about how the police can track your speed, but now thanks to your article I understand how the process works. Overall, it was an interesting articles I enjoyed reading it and learning about it.
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much!
Maria Figueroa Astr152
Hey Professor,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your initial beliefs into where light originated from. I always thought as a kid that light was a result of a creation story however, like you said, its not that simple. The metaphor of the tennis balls helped me to understand on a more visual level how light photons reflected back.
ASTR 152
Mayra Torres (ASTR 152)
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very interesting learning about the background story of your childhood that connects to the topic of this blog. I learned more facts I did not know about lights and how they are viewed. As well learning about wavelength and frequency. By reading the blog it helped me with the assignment.
Hi Professor,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that light is caused my electrons that jump into different orbits. It is amazing that light waves are used by police to detect the speed of a car. The blog has helped me understand how colors are produce.
- Melissa Ramirez ASTR 152
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very informative and a great way for me to remember some of the things I have learned in high school, such as learning about protons and neutrons. However, what I found really interesting to learn was how
the red color light particles are of less energy compared to blue or green color.
Alexander Weiss Astr 152
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to realize all the different applications we use light waves to determine other information, such as the rate of speed a car is traveling. I imagine that we also use similar technology with weather and storms approaching that we see on the weather channels. Light and sound waves have characteristics that allow us to understand the world around us and also give us information that we can better understand when we investigate astronomy. Your blog was insightful because it is putting together pieces of a very large and complex puzzle for us to have a better conceptual understanding of the big picture
the blog is always full of fascinating information, I love the story about fire and how the changing colors interested you. I have always found that pretty amazing as well. I like the fact that you added in the physicist that discovered all of the atoms parts and how they work. I always enjoy your blog and thank you for tying in stories about your personal life to connect with your students.
ReplyDeleteSarine Mirzakhanian ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteI found this blog interesting but it was kid of hard to me to remember all the information. I learned about the lights and from where they come from. Also it was interesting that how police officers track car speeds. As you mentioned in the article they transmit a light wave and detect them when they bounce back from our car on the freeway. Measuring the difference in the change of wavelength, they determine the speed of the car and give us a ticket if we passed the speed limit. I’m sure most of the police officer don’t know how it works either. I understand that light is such a big and important fact in human lives which personally I didn’t pay attention to its details from where it comes because it is always there for us.
Thank you
It's all so interesting, there is so much we have yet to discover in this world. There are so many complexities that point to a type of orchestrator or creator if you will. Wavelengths are interesting because we don't see them we just see/hear the effects of them. What stuck out to me was the discovery made by Einstein saying that light with other light waves behaves in that manner, but like with matter behaves as a particle or a type of energy.
ReplyDeleteKelly McGiffney
ASTR 152
Again, I was very interested in reading this blog. I'm continuously fascinated at how there seems to be a story or myth that explains the phenomenons occurring in the sky. My personal favorite, as you explained in this blog, was the color of light. I also shared the same fascination with the change of color with fire.
ReplyDeleteDiana Perez
ReplyDelete16223
ASTR 152
It always boggles my mind when I read these blogs because of all the facts it contains! My favorite part is how they describe how the police determine our speed while we are moving. "The police transmit a light wave and detect them when they bounce back from your car on the freeway. Measuring the difference in the change of wavelength, they determine the speed of the car and give a ticket if your car exceeds the speed limit"\
It honestly never occurred to me how they did it and now that I know it still amazes me that we found a way to measure speed by detecting light.
Diana Perez
16223
ASTR 152
I also found the changing of color very interesting as well. I like how you always connect your blog posts to personal stories. It makes me feel like I'm a kid again. I also liked the review of protons and electrons, I remember learning about it in chemistry and it's good to review it. I also liked your comparison of the atom to the football field. I look forward to reading your posts every week.
ReplyDelete-Justin Toerner
astr 152
Elizabeth Narayan
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
Once again, very interesting comparisons! I love the fact that Astronomy can somehow relate to your life. I can relate as well !
Robert Levy
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
I am so fascinated by the size of atoms. It is so hard for me to even fathom all that empty space within each atom. It is truly amazing. I am also fascinated by neon lights and the ideas of different colors moving at different frequencies. I always wondered how the speed guns that police use could so accurately predict how fast a car was going, and now that I know it is because of the bouncing back of light it all makes much more sense to me!
Nancy Moreno
ReplyDeleteASTR 152 OL
I found this article very interesting and very beneficial especially in helping understand protons and electrons. I always found this topic a bit confusing. From the blog post, I have been able to get a better understanding on the topic. I found it intriguing on the information given about firetrucks and police how the lights from each vehicle transmits sound waves and how the increase and decrease of the pitch is from the increase or decrease of the wavelengths depending on the speed of the vehicles. Overall, the blog post has taught me new information that I had previously had not known.
I found it very interesting that light originates from and disappears into atoms. The movement of electrons from different orbitals causes excitation and relaxation. I really liked where you talk about colors of light. I have done an experiment in one of my chemistry classes where we burned different compounds and each burned a different color. It is really neat that a difference in number of electrons, protons and neutron can have such a different effect of light.
ReplyDeleteonline Astro 152
ReplyDeleteEach and every time I read your blog I learn something new. I did not know light contained so much information and that different colors of light are produced at different wavelengths. Learning more about the topic of light makes it seem more tangible, complex, and important.
I have always wondered if there was a limit on how small something could be. The building blocks of all matter are atoms and neutrons, protons, and electrons make up atoms. There are theories as to what makes a proton a proton, but certainly there must be even smaller components that make up those subatomic particles.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm using this quote wrong, but I think it's "Turtles all the way down" and there is always some smaller building block lurking just beyond what can be observed with current technology.
Allan Chan
ReplyDeleteAstr 152
I really enjoyed learning that the light that bounces of an object identifies a particular. It is amazing to see that if someone was to look around a room they are sitting in, the lighting in the room determines an individual's ability to see a color. Also, it really intrigues me how these different experiments were created to develop facts about color and light
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog to be very interesting and a good read. I like the personal story that you gave to help introduce the subject. I particularly found the part of your blog about how the police find the seed of a vehicle. I had no idea that that process had to do with light. I always thought it was so type complicated photo timed thingy that I would never understand. To find out that it has to do with a formula of how fast the light bounces off of the moving car and returning to the device was good to know.
Brianna Cueva
ReplyDeleteASTRO152
It is always so interesting to read your blogs. I always end up leaving with a knowledge to things i have never even thought about. It is truly amazing into what goes into police deterring the rate of speed a vehicle is actually traveling in. They transmit a ray of light that hits your car and then lets the police determine the rate of speed you are going because of wavelengths. It is interesting to apply what we are leaning to everyday occasions.
Kristoffer Villabroza
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
This article brought me back to the fundamental foundation that is the Atom. I remember learning about this way back in high school, so most of it came easy to understand. The initial statistics of an atom is still hard to comprehend. That is the actual size and weight of it. What I remember most was the way electron particles bounce through orbit creating light particles. The red being less energetic than the blue or green. That is why a blue flame is considerably hotter than a red one. It is crazy to think that scientist can figure out what substance it on a star or object in space by observing the way the gases burn or the light that emits from it.
This blogs are great especially when you connect them to your childhood. I always love learning about waves and atoms because it is awesome when you get to learn about things that are in your everyday life, but you never get to see them.
ReplyDeleteThis blogs are great especially when you connect them to your childhood. I always love learning about waves and atoms because it is awesome when you get to learn about things that are in your everyday life, but you never get to see them.
ReplyDeleteAs always I enjoy reading your blogs because they provide interesting information on particular topics that we have to cover within the week. Also, your blogs sheds light on great illustrations that helps me relate and understand the material in an effective way. I found the reading pretty informative when learning about the history of the nucleus and electrons, and the quick background history of Niels Bohr by explaining how light was consumed within a particular time period and all of the important details within this topic. One thing that I found fascinating about this blog post was learning about light and how it has a major impact within today’s society. I love how you brought up numerous history information in order to give the readers a quick understanding of the subject. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLight has always mesmerized me from a young age but I never really learned about the reasoning behind colors. It's interesting to hear childhood stories and have insight on your experience. I was unaware that police vehicles used light rays to bounce off our vehicles in order to determine the rate of speed at which we are traveling. And it all begins with the atoms whom based on their protons,neutrons, and electrons makeup different types of elements. Light is just so interesting and I was unaware but it tells us so much.
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by the huge array of colors that are produced during a perfect sunset. This helps me understand just a little bit more on how these colors are produced. At sunset, the light from the sun has a bit more atmosphere to penetrate through and the molecules sort of just scatter all over the place. And red has the longest wavelength of all types of visible light, so this is probably why we often times see reddish hues when the sun is at the horizon.
ReplyDelete-Cameron Wolcott
ASTR 152
Yajaira Tiscareno ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteLike always it is a pleasure reading your weekly blogs. One of the many things I found interesting from the blog was the metaphor between the wavelength and a fire truck. Another thing that interested me was how police detect the speed of a car. I would have never thought that it is a light wave that they detect which bounces back from the car. It was a pleasure reading your blog, can’t wait to read this upcoming week’s blog.
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteEvery time I come across your blog, I learned something new. I really enjoyed this week's assignment on how chemistry come into place with astronomy. After reading this blog, I learned more about lights and color, how the way they work and wavelength. It really made me understand the concept of protons and electrons. I really enjoyed how you always connect these blogs into your personal life and childhood memories.
Every time I would go camping I would throw random things into the fire to see the color change. I would always wonder why the color would change. Talking about atoms, protons and neutrons made me think about the chemistry class i took a few semesters ago. I was never really good. But i like the way you explain, it makes it easy to understand. I find it really awesome that you relate our lesson to your personal life. It makes it easier to relate it to ourselves and more interesting to learn.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Leyva
ASTR 152
Really interesting read. I appreciated the tennis ball metaphor as it helped familiarize the concept for me. Also, I find it incredible that it is through light that police officers are able to measure a car's speed (and eventually give us tickets).
ReplyDeleteLuciana Moreno
AST 152
Francisco Facio
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
March 6, 2016
Hello Professor,
I appreciate how you tie your childhood thoughts& memories back into the blogposts that contain scientific facts/information. One of the things that caught my attention was your curiosity of how light differs. In addition, your metaphor regarding the tennis balls with atoms made it much easier for me to comprehend.
ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteHeng Shen
I love this blog that are interesting. I really like how you can share your personal life and experiences. I can learned many different thing through it. For this one, the amazing thing is how light waves detect the miles per hours.
Dyamond Bernard-ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteI think that the thing that interested me the most was the light and colors. I didn't know how light worked and the coors behind it so it was nice to hear how. Your stories are always very interesting and I always look forward to reading them.
Astr 152
ReplyDeleteAdrian Ruvalcaba
Great blog this week! Enjoyed reading about the many new things we can learn and see through the new technology we have. Also how we can tell how fast or slow particle move and the meaning behind the colors, which can be seen through the spectograph.
The way that light is transmitted is extremely fascinating. I liked the way you explained how the police speed radar works and how the speed is transmitted to the police.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Professor,
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be quite interesting. I found the way you questioned Gods' statement of "Let there be light" in the sense of trying to understand what color the light was at the time. Also, this article helps understand the concepts in the homework.
ASTR 152 ONLINE
FALL 2016
- Marina Melkumyan
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Bible and internalizing the information in the scripture, “And God said let there be light: and there was light” I have never even thought that light would be anything other than what it looks like today. The question of color of that "light" never entered my thought process. Now that it has, I am quite interested in the reality behind that question. As usual, the opening statement about a childhood event had me hooked. Your explanation of light ad it's origin makes everything seem so real and understandable and tangible now.
ReplyDeleteAshley Jackson
ASTR152 ONLINE
FALL 2016
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeletei find it so awesome how you connect everything to your childhood. It's so cool that light waves bounce back on a device that helps out the police give tickets even though it's not so cool for the person receiving the ticket. Also, things that change colors are fascinating and you explained everything so well.
Hi Professor,
ReplyDeleteI never knew before reading this blog post how light works nor that it is like sound a wave. I learn so much from these posts. I also thought that the explanation about how cups send the light wave to see how fast someone drives and see how fast it bounces back was a very good example for me to grasp the concept of light. I feel like I want to deepen my knowledge even more.
Its crazy to think that everything is made up of atoms, negative and positive and neutral charges that interact and are the base of everything in our world including our own bodies.
I never knew that different types of light occur from different interactions between the particles in atoms! I like how this topic followed telescopes because now I understand how each aspect of the process work. And, of course, I always love your stories. They always add another aspect of depth and understanding to your lessons.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you introduced light as being tangible. To me, light has always just been something that we can see but not something we can grasp. The explanation of light you used with the neutrons and protons allowed me to understand that light is tangible! Throughout the whole lecture, that was the one topic that still has me in a slight disbelief because I had never imagined light that way before. The lecture was fascinating, truly.
ReplyDeleteSelena Dang
ASTR 152
I enjoyed reading about this concept of light. Your introductions always engage me. It makes it much more relatable when you connect your childhoood to the topic at hand. Doppler Effect is something I have always known about but never got to read about it. I'm glad I did now. Also explaining light in terms of protons, electrons, adn smallest particles makes the concept easier to grasp.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you made to your childhood because it helps to understand these concepts more clearly. I thought it was really interesting that light could be use to determine if someone is speeding or not while driving. I found it interesting that you first talked about light being a tangible thing, because I had never thought of it if such a way. I never knew that the different types of light occur because the interactions between the particles in atoms.
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting learning about how light travels as a wave and all the different colors of light whether which color has more energy, less energy, ect.
ReplyDeleteKatie Rosa
ReplyDeleteAstronomy 152 (online)
I really like your blogs, again i like how you are always able to tie in childhood stories. I like how you said that you found color and light interesting as a child.I can partially relate because it not that the color or light interested me it was more like, "why do we see color" or "why is that light brighter then that one".What helped me better understand was the cool tennis ball metaphor.An interesting fact that I did not know until reading your blog is how piece officers can determine if your speeding using a machine that uses the light waves.
It reminded me of my childhood as reading your childhood story. I wondered and thought about why the sound of sirens of police cars and fire trucks change as I was young. I remembered of asking adults about it but didn't get detailed, satisfying answers. They told me something like, "it is because of the car speed and the distance"; it is somewhat correct, but I knew they don't really know. Thinking back those memories, I didn't realize there were numerous fightings, developments and reasons behind the great discovery of the science these-days until taking some lecturers in high school and college. It is extremely amazing to know "wave" exists everywhere and relates to everything in our every single moment such as in temperature, sound, light, atmosphere and water.
ReplyDeleteHello professor,
ReplyDeletereading the lecture for this week was very interesting, and I found that I could relate to it a lot. As you said, growing up lights always fascinated me as well. The paragraph about the sound waves answered a lot of questions I had as a child.
I always find it interesting when you talk about your life in India and what you have learned in India. It always draws me to your blog post because I want to know what happens next. I can't believe you learned all that stuff in high school such as how atoms work and the positive nucleus and the negative electrons of the atoms. There are so many other topics that you learned such as elements such as hydrogen and helium being different with the number of protons at their nucleus. As well how you have always been interested in the colors of light as well the light particles of electrons.
ReplyDeleteI loved all your examples when it came to light and color. It always fascinated me how they connect and how light works through waves and how they are tangible.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your post. you always give me a better understanding of the subject we are talking about if I don't understand. telling your childhood story made me get a better understanding of the protons, neutrons, and electrons
ReplyDelete- DaJeion Myers ASTR 152
Growing up for me, I always liked to paint and use different colors to make my pictures or drawings. The brightness of colors always made me think how strong that color is and what it could represent. I find it fascinating that wavelengths are all over the world. They are correlated with temperature, light and sound. I’ve learned so much from this chapter about protons, neutrons, and electrons that I can apply it towards it to my other class this semester. I also find it awesome to tie in your childhood to your blog about light. Light is what makes us see the different colors in the rainbow.
ReplyDeleteEdward Rodriguez
Astro 152 / Fall 2016
I thought the tennis ball representation was truly cool and that truly made it click for me. I adapted some of these certainties in secondary school, for example, protons and electrons. Be that as it may, this was exceptionally useful and took in a great deal. I enjoyed how you entwined everything at last with light and telescopes.
ReplyDeleteThis article/post was very interesting! Color of light also interested me at a very young age as well and I often wondered about it. The brightness of light also intrigued me at a young age. As i grew up, it was fun learning about the background science of light and about the different factors of light. Electrons play a huge part in the concept of light. I look forward to learning more.
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
Maggie Chong
I can really appreciate these lectures. You do not just inform, you use analogies that help us understand what you're truly talking about. In high school I learned some of these concepts but you really took it a step further.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Astr 152
Brenton Filipi
I found this blog post very interesting and very scientific! I had no idea the size of atoms in comparison to the real world (grape fruit seed). Breaking down atoms into descriptive detail fascinates me because they are rarely specifically addressed and analyzed! Tying science into lighting and putting reasoning behind certain lighting is something I had never known before. In addition to that, it is very interesting to see the science in action by measuring wavelengths for everyday situations like a radar gun for speeding cars.
ReplyDeleteASTR 152 (Fall 2016)
Riley Conlan
Another great blog post as always. I really enjoy hearing more about your childhood experiences. One thing I really appreciated was that you use great comparisons to project a better understanding to the audience (the class). Like the football field and grape fruit seed. I learned that modern time we use similar technique to understand the stars by decoding message they carry on leaving them. Thanks for sharing so much information.
ReplyDeleteChristina Tran
Astronomy 152 Online (Fall 2016)
Thank you for giving examples that the majority of people can relate to. For example, using the firetruck siren to explain sound waves. I never realized that the speed of the truck determines the increase or decrease of the pitch of the siren. I also was also fascinated on how radar guns function. I am so impressed how light particles are generated through the jump of electrons in different orbits. Also how different colors are formed because of these jumps and how the energy level of each color light particle is different. Keep using examples that we can relate to, it really makes it easier to understand the information. It also keeps the reader engage because they are able to visualize what they are reading.
ReplyDeleteIxtla Montanez
ASTR 152 Online (Fall 2016)
Professor,
ReplyDeleteLight is something I've always found interesting as well, but this helped me actually understand it better. It is interesting that light can behave in so many different ways and come in so many different colors. I know there are some kinds of lights that we cannot see with he human eye. Are these considered colors that we cannot see? I find this interesting, because a friend once asked me to think of a color I had not yet seen, but I could not do this, because the only colors we can imagine are ones we have already seen. This has caused me think about potential colors that do exist, but are just invisible to the human eye or not yet discovered.
Christa Griffiths
ASTR 152 ONLINE (Fall 2016)
Most people see colors and just dismiss it and don't see the deeper ideas in how it works the way we see it. Learning the way we see light can be instrumental to in the future see more colors than we do now. The military is always trying to figure out how to see more and be seen less. That is why this interest me so much. Being able to change what we define as visible would be huge and it starts with understanding how light reacts with our eyes and the environment.
ReplyDelete-
Raymundo Ruvalcaba
Astr 152
10-8-16
it's amazing to hear about the color of light everything has a deep meaning. I am familiar with the tower you are talking about and the concept of light. I have heard about the tower since I am from Lahore this is relatable.
ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting and relatable to everyday life. We look at color and don't wonder how it happens we just associate it all as "light." I love hearing your own personal stories about science, they make your lectures so interesting!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I would look at the stove and wonder why the flame had blue in it. It is fascinating to know that electrons jump around and create these colors. Light illuminates the world, so it is very important to understand why different lights light up the way they do. Colors give life to the objects that are present in our everyday world. Understanding how they are created in light, makes it that much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteReginald Hawkins
Astr 152
10/9/16
In your blog, I found it interesting how the nucleus of an atom is about the size ratio of a grapefruit and a football field. When I was younger I was very curious of why flames were different colors, and now I know that the redder the flame, the less energy it has, and the bluer the flame, the more energy it has. This blog was very relatable!
ReplyDelete-Star Alcazar ASTRO 152 Online Oct. 9 2016
Celinne Hernandez ONLINE 152
ReplyDeleteI never had any question relating to where light comes from and its interesting to learn that hydrogen, helium, lights contain different wavelengths. It also crazy to think that planets also transmit wavelength. Also that the U.S build technology to try and decode these wavelength to determine what type of planets and stars are made of. As to fire I always thought the red was hotter and the blue was cooler because I was correlating it to the colors. To me blue means cold and red means hot, but in reality its actually the opposite way. We learn someone thing new everyday.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to see how much we have learned about the universe and what it consists of. In 1913 Niels Bohr discovered how atoms work and what they are made of. We now know how many protons are in electrons when at one point we didn’t even know these were elements. We have made many discoveries because of the advancements people have made and have only discovered more about it.
ReplyDeleteKathy Aguilar
ReplyDeleteAstronomy online 152
I really enjoyed reading about your childhood experience professor, I always also fascinated with the colors of light, when i was younger i would look at fire and asked why flames were red, or orange, and yellow.its crazy how it all ties in together.
Thank you professor for another great blog post. The idea of the actual size of an atom has always been something thats so fascinating to me. The ratio that you explained -- the size of a grapefruit in the middle of a big football field -- thats incredible! Another point you mentioned that I also found to be interesting was your explanation about how the interactions of electrons bouncing back and forth to different orbits is what creates light. When I think about this, it makes complete sense. For example, when matter interacts it causes friction which then creates energy, therefore, light!
ReplyDeleteCelina Carpina
ASTR 152 Online
10/9/16
Without light, we can't do anything our life. It is very important and has something very special to the light. This high beams that shines to our life is made up of small particles of elements and combines all together to shine our day and night lights. I noticed from this blog that the topic light has a lots to study and yet many information to actually know to deserve this lights to our life.
ReplyDeleteWith my Christian religious perspective, I truly thank God for the light that he has created and the light can also be meaning bright future in our life.
I truly learned once again about the importance of the lights and the existence.
Sungjoo Jeon
ASTR 152
Fall 2016
Hi Professor,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this blog posts- it was my favorite one so far due to various reasons. I've studied the history of Southeast Asia so I'm familiar with the Mughal timeline. It was especially interesting to further note the history of that region. I also enjoy chemistry so a lot of what we learned in this chapter tied to what I had known previously, however, evaluating it all from an astronomical perspective was interesting. I also enjoyed the phenomenon of using different wavelengths in fire trucks that enable us to hear them from far distances.
Thank you!
Professor,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing so much about your childhood. I think it's amazing that you can remember the first time the concept of light interested you. My favorite part of this blog post was how you gave us a visual of what an atom looks like in terms of the size and space between the nucleus and the electrons. I always thought they had to be really close together because of how small they are.
Hello Professor, this blog post has to be one of my favorites. It's so cool to know how your interest in astronomy came about. I remember my interest in Media sparked while in my high school yearbook class. The analogy of light and the tennis balls through the net made me understand the concept more. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteASTR152
Tien Ho
Hi Professor
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this interesting information. There are many things that I have yet to learn about things regarding Astronomy but reading these blogs have helped me gain a bit of knowledge each time. Although I still do not completely get how light works, the analogy you used about the nucleus of an atom help me create an image in my head. It is clear to me that since you were young, you were always curious about these type of things which I can honestly say that I have never asked myself these questions. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with us.
Christopher Posada
ASTR 152
Fall 2016
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteThere are these little things in life that happen everyday that make me curious, but I never really try to understand the science behind it. However, I like how your lectures because they provide the answers to the everyday little questions that I have about things I see everyday throughout life; for example, the reason why light has different colors or why and how we get moving violation tickets. It's fascinating to know that there is a science behind everything. Now that I know the science behind it, it all seems like common sense, however it's surprising to know that there are certain devices made to measure things the human eye cannot see.
Whenever I read your blog, I usually discover new things surrounding me. I really like the way you explain how color of light transmit, and you also provided your own experience. When I was young, I was interested in the color of light and always asked myself how it had different colors.
ReplyDeleteASTR 152 Fall 2016
Thank you for this great information and for your personal experience regarding light. Childhood memories and experiences can truly have an impact on how we see things. I really enjoyed how you gave an example and broke down the atoms and explained it giving us a clear image to reference to. Light has always been something of interest to me i find it fascinating how light can work, thank you for putting it into perspective.
ReplyDeleteI always really enjoy these blogs because I see myself learning so much. My favorite part of the blog is when there is a story told with the lesson. The atom is a very interesting topic because of their function and size. I also found it interesting how light interacts differently with particles. my favorite part of the blog post this week was the metaphor about the tennis ball.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Ramirez
ASTR 152 Fall 2016
Light really is amazing! I liked how you went further in depth about light, past just the scientific idea of it. I also enjoyed the segment about atoms and what they are comprised of.
ReplyDeleteThe blog touched really well on how light is produced. It exemplified the science and different terminology used to describe light. I take it for granted everyday and don’t even consider what light must go through to make things visible for me. The hand guns used by police officers to tell the speeds of passing vehicles, requires light waves which is very interesting to me and had no idea light was even involved in that aspect. I was surprised at the various colors of light, and wasn’t even aware of the ones we cannot see. I am very curious as to how many colors there potentially are, which are not visible to the human eye.
ReplyDeleteThe more i kept reading this blog the more i enjoyed it and understood the concept.I thought the tennis ball metaphor was really cool and that really made it click for me. As a little kid i always wondered why the color of fire changes while it burns faster and this blog helped me understand why that happens.
ReplyDeleteLizbeth Sanchez
ASTR 152 Online
As I wake up on a daily basis to light, the question of where it comes from has never ran across my mind. After reading this great blog post I now understand hydrogen and helium plays a dramatic role. Lights containing different wavelengths is present. Your example and explanation of atoms allowed me to envison the whole picture. Light is now something I am more interested in.
ReplyDeleteThanks or your explanation!
TERREL GULIFORD
ASTR152 ONLINE
Howdy Professor, I realize that this is a bit tardy, but better late than never, right? After reading your post and learning about electron movements and how light is emitted when moving to a further shell and absorbed when moving to a closer orbital, I have to wonder: Is that how black holes work, since they absorb light? Or are those concepts totally unrelated?
ReplyDeleteKierra Stepteau ASTR 152 Fall Semester
When one loses their sight, it is then that they appreciate how great it is to see the world around you. I was temporarily blind in one eye and learned how blessed we are to have the incredible vision of the eye. Although we lack a tapetum, which allows other animals to see in the dark, it seems like that ability was sacrificed for our clearer, more colorful and more acyte vision. It is interesting to think of light in colored waves, and that red would be the slowest.
ReplyDeleteAshley Stepteau ASTR 152 Fall
There are many things that we take for granted, where things come from, and the incredible ability of the human brain to process and analyze these things. Light is an example of this. It was very interesting to learn about the parts of the atom and how they become different elements. There is so much going on at the microscopic level, that we cannot begin to imagine. Thank you professor for expanding my knowledge on the subject.
ReplyDeleteKierra Stepeau ASTR 152 Fall
Professor,
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how you always manage to relate the lesson to your childhood. It is interesting that you were able to have these experiences and manage to keep them with you and have them relate to your work.
Talya Joffe ASTR 152 Spring
Andrew Lovitt
ReplyDeleteSpring 2017
ASTR 152
The way light and sound travel has always been something that resonated within me. Since I was younger I learned that I was actually color blind. Learning this had opened my eyes to how things I am capable of seeing are far different than anyone else. The way colors are shown to me produce a variety of alternate perspectives in what I see and retain. Reading this entry how atoms can change perspective even slightly, encourages me to ask myself questions that I have yet to learn and understand.
Good Morning Professor Choudhary
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you were intrigued by the lights color. I never payed any attention to the color of light especially fire or any other type of light. I definitely find your blogs interesting and informational because I learn something new every week.
Ariel Ford
ASTR 152 Sp17
Professor,
ReplyDeleteI remember learning about protons and neutrons when I was learning chemistry in high school. I had no idea these same concepts had similar importance in astronomy! The fact that we are able to study and understand stars is amazing. I am also interested about the colors and lights we see in the sky every night. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the subject as well as sharing your own personal story as always.
Alexis Alvarez
ASTR 152 Spring 2017
I enjoyed reading this blog post very much. It was interesting to me how you thought about what color the light was when god said let there be light. I've never thought about it like that but it is a very interesting question. Something I learned from reading this blog post is that elements such as hydrogen, helium, iron and gold differ by the number of protons at their center or nucleus.
ReplyDeleteHello Professor,
ReplyDeleteAs stated above I remember learning in chemistry the differences in protons, electrons, nucleus and so forth. I would have never thought there would be a correlation with light. It is fascinating how something as simple we use everyday has much more complex background.
Alejandra Mora
Spring 2017 OL Astro 152
Kevin Whitmarsh
ReplyDeleteASTR 152 OL
Spring 2017
I find it increasingly interesting that atoms consist mostly of space. I was unaware until now the size of the free space within atoms. The football field comparison really gave me a picture in my mind of the massive expanse of free space we would see if we were to enlarge only one atom. I find it hard to believe that with this amount of space, objects aren't falling through each other constantly. Light on another hand has always been another wonder of mine. The energy levels of light particles really help to explain the different types of colors that we see.
Yekaterina Melnik, Astronomy 152 Online, Spring Semester 2017
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting to learn about wavelengths, if we think about it light certainly travels fast despite having such massive distances to travel, it also covers a vast space and sound is a close match in terms of speed, it also has long wavelengths to cover, but what happens with sound is over a certain distance the sound cannot continue its travel, while light can go almost everywhere. Light in general is pretty incredible and we have found so many ways to harness it, solar energy and photography being the two of my favorites. Sound has also been used in creative ways of late, the Apple Watch series two product released by Apple, now allows us to harness sound in a new and fascinating way, we can swim with the Apple Watch up to 50 meters in the pool or ocean water. This is all possible due to the fact that sound waves are coming from the speakers within the Apple Watch, which force the water out while submerged. We do not notice these sound waves, but they keep our technological device from becoming damaged and allow us to experience water in much vaster ways. The more we learn about how the world works, the more we are able to harness its “magic”, all we have done with the technology truly is we have harnessed the abilities nature has given us, and the more we understand the more we will advance.
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteRecalling back to Chemistry, I remember learning about protons and neutrons, but I never realized that there was a callback to Astronomy with these ideas. As always, I also enjoy the way you tie it back to your past, this time with your learning of light, and higher education in India. I never knew the study and nature of light would be so fascinating, like the observation of light interacting with matter and it acts like a particle. I appreciate the ideas being thrown at me here.
Sebastian Artola
ASTR 152 OL
The appear of light is sounds like a simple question but it is actually hard to answer. Light is around us everyday and it is so mystery because it is untouchable but we are surround by it. It is my first time get touch with the concept of atoms, electrons when I study physics at senior school, which is simple but exquisite and work well. When I know the process of how it works is amazed. Such complicated process is work every sec in a such tiny thing, which also brought more interesting question and facts to me.
ReplyDeleteYang Liu
ASTR 152 OL
Carlos Murillo
ReplyDeleteASTR 152, Spring 2017
Chapter 5, which discussed light, wavelengths, and telescopes really interested me as to how light was produced. Even more interesting is how you stated that if an atom was stationary, it would collapse due to the attraction between the protons and the electrons. It is amazing to think that the atoms of various elements are in the structured positions that allow them to maintain their function and form. It has interested me into learning more about this, and how different energy levels in an atom keep it stable. Thank you for another lesson that ties into your history.
ASTR 152
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to know how you have connected with these different aspects from when your were younger. I did always wonder how come fire can be different colors. Sometimes it was a red/orange/yellow color and at other times it could be a blue color etc. Also realizing that if a star is brighter than another it doesn't necessarily mean that it is bigger it can mean that it is just closer than the other one.
Zoe Pitko
ReplyDeleteASTR152
This blog post reminds me of learning the basics of an atom, and about the elements! Also it is always isane to think about color and light. The atom is a very interesting topic because of their function and size. When you learn someone loses there sight or becomes colorblind we really begin to appreciate what is happening around us.
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to read how you described the nature of light particles and how the color of light slightly changes the way it behaves. I also found it interesting to learn that electrons must move around the nucleus to keep the atom stable because the protons and electrons attract each other. It is something I never considered before. This lecture also made me think a lot about color, and whether it only exists in the presence of light.
ASTR 152
SP2017
I want to thank you again for telling us stories about your childhood that relates to what we are learning. It is always interesting to learn about why the professor chose to get into this profession. Growing up and till now I always wondered why when I would cook the fire turns different colors. Its very interesting to learn how many energy levels it took for the atom to become stable.
ReplyDeleteThis blog past was interesting because I never really thought of the origin of light, for the planet. I know the history of light and electricity for the home, but never as a whole. I never thought about what light first looked like. It was also interesting to read about how light is produced in a cell, the electrons transit to orbit around the nucleus. This blog post answered questions I did not know I had. Also it is interesting to read about what sparked your interest in this study.
ReplyDeleteJuliana DLP
Astr152
Yessenia Gramajo
ReplyDeleteAstr 152/ Spring 2017
I remember learning about atoms in middle school and the teacher telling us that a positive nucleus and negative electron must be moving because if it remains stationary, they would attract eachother and ultimately collapse. They must be revolving, moving. It is interesting to see that the atoms know what they must be doing to maintain function. Thank you for allowing us into certain aspects of your life. One of the reasons these blogs are so great is because you connect them with parts of your childhood.
I know a blog is meant to talk about your life but I appreciate your letting us get involved in your blog as especially for an online class it gives background and character to the professor behind the screen. Anyways I found the most interesting part of the post to be when offerings of food were thrown into the fire and how it signified giving to the Gods. I never knew the physics involved in throwing something into a fire creating energy. It makes me curious to see what items would cause what type of reaction from a fire. Its nice to know this peaked your interest in light. Makes it more relatable.
ReplyDeleteLauren Chachula
ASTR 152- #16522
Nice article professor, I'm on the same boat as you. I always loved learning the different spectrum of lights and what we can see. Having taken chemistry I can apply this concept and relate to it as well. An interesting fact that stood out to me was that light particles that are generated are due to the jump of electrons into different orbits. This is a very important concept and I am excited to learn more about it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, i was reminded that there is never a time in which we stop learning science. In high school, I believed that a hydrogen was just basic and there isn't much to know about it. For example, little did I know that extra neutrons from an element can produce an isotope.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth E.
ASTR152
SP 2017
Dominic Teran
ReplyDeleteASTRONOMY 152 ONLINE
I find it a very interesting that you’re first question about the line “And God said let there be light: and there was light” was asking about the color of the light. I’ve honestly never heard that interpretation before and it is interesting to see how you expanded on that point. I like how it guided you to pursue further knowledge about the origin of light as a commonly known phrase actually gave you incentive to go out and learn about a topic of interest. When I was little I also watched the flames of my stove and saw that it was not always a common orange.
Bertini Nguyen
ReplyDeleteAstronomy 152 Online
I was wondered where light came from. Your blog was very interesting to me and it gave me an insight on how light works and how it reacts. It was very interesting to see how the scientist of the past understood light just as well as scientists today.
La Vonne Centeno
ReplyDeleteAstr 152/ Spring '17
Just like all of the other blogs, I highly enjoy the personal stories that you share with us. Through this blog, I better understood color and wavelengths. I was also able to further keep up by the metaphors that you have used. It is amazing that color exists and not everything is black and white. Imagine a world without colors, it just won't be as exciting.
Hey Professor,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog post especially when you talked about the color fire and he changes color. I also really enjoyed the example of the fire truck and how we tend to hear the noise louder as it gets near us due to wavelength.
Megan Perez
Astronomy 152 online
Spring 2017
I have always been so interested in color. Why does it happen? how does it happen? do we all see the same red? is the coca-cola can really red?
ReplyDeleteThis interesting blog helped me understand so many things i had questions about before.
thank you!
When you mentioned in the lecture what you wondered what color the light would be at the time when God said “Let there be light.” It made me wonder how I imagined that question to be answered by a younger me and today’s me. I believe a younger me, who was in love with the color yellow and the sun’s warmth which allowed me to play outside a lot would believe that color the sun would be is yellow. But today, I’d answer you by posing the same question: Are you asking from an astronomical/ scientific standpoint or a more philosophical answer. My understanding of the world and the way the world works is much different now.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Garcia
Astr152 Spring 2017
Hello Professor,
ReplyDeleteLearning about atoms have also fascinated me as well. Despise how small they may be, they can be very powerful. My favorite part is learning how light can even act as a particle. Thanks to our past knowledgeable scientist for helping us understand more about the smallest particle known to mankind.
Oyishee Siddiqui
ASTR 152 OL
Patricia Olivera Astronomy 152 Spring 2017
ReplyDeleteSO far I have learned about atoms and how in each atoms there is proton electron and neutron. In a proton it has a positive charge and in an electron it has a negative charge. In the center there is a nucleus which is at the center and a neutron has no charge.
Cristian Gil 152 Spring 2017
ReplyDeleteAgain the scale of our universe in unimaginable. This time you talked about atoms. This time you went down in size. We often forget about things we can't see. To scale the size of an atom and it's electron belt is comparable to a football field and a grapefruit seed is again amazing. These things make up our entire physical world.
In correlation with the previous lecture blog, sight continues to be amazing. I enjoy how now the blog is focusing specifically on light. Light, color, and brightness has also fascinated me on how we see what we see. The tennis metaphor was a great addition to mentioning Rutherford’s experiment because it clarified the idea of one in eight thousand particles bouncing back. Ever since science class I always found it interesting how things are created by atoms, electrons, neutrons, protons, and a nucleus. It is unimaginable to picture tiny particles making up our surroundings and us. Most importantly is bewildering that even change of light and color are created by the same particles.
ReplyDeleteCristina Zakaryan
Spring 2017
Astr 152 OL
Learning about light and how it works is very interesting as it shows that there is much more going on than what the eye perceives. Our eyes may see the colors of the rainbow, but these colors do not appear out of thin air. It seems to be quite a complex system that takes a lot of understanding. It's amazing to learn what makes up our world and how and why things work the way they do.
ReplyDeleteJessica Levin Samarscova
ASTR 152 Spring 2017
Eleonor Navarro ASTR 152-16522-Spring 2017
ReplyDeleteHello Professor,
I did not know light was produced when electrons transit to an orbit near to the nucleus from the one situated further away. I never knew the scientific explanation for how light came about. I think it's interesting how light can have different colors. For example, when I light a match, the light of the fire is yellow versus when I turn on the oven and the light of the fire is blue. Of course, this deals with the amount of energy between the two. Light is so different and I'm curious about the how artificial light and natural light compare to each other. The wavelengths that the Sun or Moon transmits differs from the light that my lamp produces. Light is an interesting topic, and I find it fascinating to learn about.
Hello Professor Choudhary,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to learn about the way light reflects off an atom and how our eyes view a different color than it actually is. I also learned that planets also communicate wavelengths. The part you mentioned about watching flames change color reminded me about temperatures in stars, and how the hottest star is usually blue, and the hottest point of a flame is blue as well. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your piece of writing with us! This was definitely fascinating to read about.
-Ren
Astronomy 152
ASTRO 152
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting learning about your childhood and pass experiences. One thing I really enjoyed reading about was the fire truck. I learned that wave length has to do why the siren's pitch increases when its near us and decreases as it leaves. I never knew that light originated with atoms and that they all come together like that. There is so much that our eye does not see, all the different elements that come together to form the images we see.
Hi Professor,
ReplyDeleteRed is my favorite color and the red color light particles have less energy compared to blue or green color. I have learned that the hottest star is blue but I always thought it would be red because red is known as a color of fire.
Thank you for this lecture.
Natalie Bedrosian
Astr 152
This blog post was very nice to read. It is really interesting to read how you developed your interest in colors at such a young age. There is so much to sight than what I imagined. The paragraph where you explained the way sound waves work answered a lot of questions I always thought of in my head whenever I had prior sciences classes. Thank you for this blog post.
ReplyDeleteAngella Dijamco
ASTR 152 ( Online )
Spring 2017
This blog really sparked my interest to pay closer attention to light and fire. Reading you recount your experience in wondering about the fire's different colors made me make the connection between the textbook teachings and real life observations. I really find the concepts of waves and light a lot because I have never taken physics but feel as though I see the world a little more scientifically by reading this posting.
ReplyDeleteI always find your life stories fascinating and they help put astronomy into a better perspective. As a previous chemistry major I found the bit about the positive nucleus and negative electrons remaining stationary intriguing. I had no idea that the atom would collapse if there was no movement. I too have been fascinated by color. As a child I had a prism that would change color as it was moved around. I never really understood how that worked until later.
ReplyDeleteMahrum Arya Zahiri
Astr152 Spring 2017
100859250
I enjoy reading the connections you make with childhood stories and folklore as it allows us to understand the many concepts of astronomy from a different perspective. In my opinion, light is very fascinating as it comes in different forms and sizes. It is interesting to view the patterns of light reflected from a prism as they vary in wavelength. Or by viewing lightning in the sky, the light is always noticeable before the thunder strikes as it travels faster than the speed of sound. Light is very important to Earth as sunlight is the source of energy for plants and nonliving things in our planet. The theme of light is even present in mythological stories as those that came before us understood the significance behind this phenomena
ReplyDeleteWatching the different colors that change through light is also something that has fascinated me. For instance, the example you gave where we can see the fire changing color, this is true and also exciting to watch because what we are witnessing is something that we are not exactly controlling, but rather just watching and experiencing. Ever since I was little I thought it was amazing how blue could later turn into yellow then red, watching this change colors always intrigued me.
ReplyDeleteI feel like reading about a life stories are always fascinating and interesting because we get to see a different perspective of ways other people see things. Instead of just how we see things and it gives you a better insight. Astronomy 152 Spring
ReplyDeleteI always wondered what color was light since I was very little as well. I remember that I used to sit next to my dad as a child and stare and a fire pit. Examining the flames go from blue to reddish yellow. But, thats only how my eyes see it. I now know that there are telescopes that can determine the color of light of galaxies and I think that is very amazing.
ReplyDeleteEmery Hernandez
ASTR 152 Online
Spring 2017
yes, the question is what the light has used to be years ago, facts changes all the time since people change the earth's nature with their eerydays activities such us, driving and produce products that gas is needed.
ReplyDeleteAmazing blog, i really found it interesting how light is transmitted and how it is used by police offices to determine speeds, a very cool fact.
ReplyDeletei love how you continue to incorporate your childhood with your blogs.It definitely shows as to why you pursued a career in astronomy. It was very interesting to know about wavelengths and how they diminish the further they are away. I also enjoyed learning how light works and reacts
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to learn about your childhood, and for you to incorporate the history of Astronomy. I have never really took a particular interest in this field, so it was nice to understand that it started with your fascination for colors.
ReplyDeleteASTR 152
ReplyDeleteYour blogs are always so informative and allow me to a better understanding of how things work. I have always had difficulty in learning how protons, electrons, and how all those things work. I am taken away about how police officers and fire trucks use these wavelengths to determine certain factors. I learn something new every day.
really enjoy your blog post, they are filled with information that i was not aware of before taking this course. I am really amazed how the fire trucks and wavelengths are determined.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that bit about the tennis metaphor. As a tennis player, it helped me understand that section of the concept just a little bit more. Physics is one of my weaker subjects, and this post just gives more background on the relevancy of astronomy with physics.
ReplyDelete-Anthony Martires (ASTRO 152)
Learning more about light from the first module about how light behaves, like going back to the beginning basically. When you talked about the elements such as hydrogen, helium, iron and so forth. I'm also going to pull up a sentence from this blog, "For example in Hydrogen there is one proton, in helium there two and in iron there are 26 protons." This made me instantly think about my Chemistry class back from my high school when I took it as a sophomore. During my Chem class, my teacher would discuss about light. I felt like I traveled back in time.
ReplyDeleteASTR152 (16522) - SPR2017
I always learn something new when reading these blogs. Vert interesting topics!
ReplyDeleteReading through this post reminded so much of my chemistry class. Growing up, I have always loved the stars. When I was little, I had a dream that I was able to capture a star as it was arm's length in my dreams. The star was twice the size of my hand, and I held it my hand as it was glistening.
ReplyDeleteAs I grew up later on, I was a pretty disappointed to find out that an actual star is much bigger beyond my grasp. I was pretty upset to find out that I will never be able to hold a star in my hand. Nevertheless, I enjoy its beauty and glory up above the night sky.
I always looked at light and just thought it was just light. Of course I knew there was more to it but this blog helped me understand it more. The way light is broken down in this blog is very interesting and informative. I enjoyed very much especially the part about the atoms.
ReplyDeleteNazenie Parsamyan
ASTR 152 (Online) Summer 2017
I always enjoy learning about your childhood and how you relate it to the course. I remember learning about the Doppler effect in my geology class and it was interesting to relate it to light waves. It also was explained clearer and helped me understand both methods.
ReplyDeleteAmber Daoud
ASTR 152 Online Summer 2017
I still do not completely understand the different colors and such, but I understand the list of it. What I don't understand is why those colors in particular. And how can an atom be in light? Like it's amazing to me. I never though of light containing anything, like air (which I know contains atoms). It was always just there-- something that existed and you didn't think twice about. I am just amazed at how we have an explanation for everything now and it's all so technical and specific.
ReplyDeleteRayleen Silva
ASTR152-- Summer 2017
in every blog i read i enjoy your childhood stories. and what captured my attention is how light particles that are generated due to the jump of electrons into different orbits behave like waves of a particular color, this is another level of knowing how light is and works.
ReplyDeleteAbdulaziz Almurad
ASTR 152 SUMMER 2017
What fascinates me is how different colors have different amounts of energy! A lot of this lecture blog made me rethink about my high school biology class so it was a nice reminder to know that I had not forgotten everything I have learned.
ReplyDeleteElia Narvaez
ASTR 152 (Online) Summer 2017