Results

The beauty of a coral reef, the warm radiance of sunshine, the sting of sunburn, the X-ray revealing a broken bone, even microwave popcorn—all are brought to us by electromagnetic waves. The list of the various types of electromagnetic waves, ranging from radio transmission waves to nuclear gamma-ray (γ-ray) emissions, is interesting in itself.

Even more intriguing is that all of these different phenomena are manifestations of the same thing—electromagnetic waves (see Figure 15.1). What are electromagnetic waves? How are they created, and how do they travel? How can we understand their widely varying properties? What is the relationship between electric and magnetic effects? These and other questions will be explored.

An image that illustrates light reflecting off a plain mirror.

An explanation of how LOL diagrams allow us to visually represent what we mean by conservation of energy as well as what we mean by an energy system.

Managing time involves accurately predicting how much time it will take to do a task, and then setting aside that amount of time to complete it. Managing time is much more difficult than it may seem, which is why there are entire courses of study and research on the best approaches. But if you develop a method to undertake each component, you’ll be successful.

In this chapter, you will learn why it is important to identify a reference frame in order to clearly describe motion. For now, the motion you describe will be one-dimensional. Within this context, you will learn the difference between distance and displacement as well as the difference between speed and velocity. Then you will look at some graphing and problem-solving techniques.

Outcomes

In this unit you will learn that: 

• Osmosis is the movement of a liquid from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until it reaches equilibrium.

The particle model of matter is one of the most useful scientific models because it describes matter in all three states. Understanding how the particles of matter behave is vital if we hope to understand science!

The model also helps us to understand what happens to the particles when matter changes from one state to another.

In this unit, you will explore the three phases of matter and then look at the properties and differences between them. You will explore their shape, volume, and kinetic energy.

Photoelectric materials emit electrons when they absorb light of a high-enough frequency.

Using position-time graphs and number lines to find displacement and distance traveled.