How to Study

• Read the chapters below. Review your homework.
• Define the words below using your notes and book.
• Read over the chapter summaries at the ends of the chapters several times.

Chapter 4 - Making Sense of the Universe

• See the topics on these lecture slides: Chapter4.pdf

Chapter 5 - Light: The Cosmic Messenger

• What is a spectrum?
• What are diffraction gratings used for?
• Electromagnetic Spectrum
  • Radio Waves
  • Microwaves
  • Infrared
  • Visible Light (ROY G. BIV)
  • Ultraviolet Light
  • X-rays
  • Gamma Rays
• Which of the above has the longest wavelength?
• Which of the above has the highest frequency?
• Which of the above has the highest energy per photon?
• Speed of Light, Wavelength, Nanometer, Frequency, Wave Speed, Photons
• Describe the basic struture of the atom.
• Emission and Absorption
• Ground state and excited states of the atom, Electrons, Protons, Neutrons, Electrical Charge
• Isotopes, Molecules, and Atomic Number
• Ions and Ionization
• Kirchhoff's Laws
• What did Kirchhoff and Bunsen discover about spectra? (See notes..."fingerprint".)
• Types of Spectra:
  • Continuous Spectrum (a.k.a. thermal radiation spectrum)
  • Absorption Spectrum
  • Emission Spectrum
• What is the Doppler Effect?
• What is meant by redshift and blueshift?
• What are blackbodies?
• What does a blackbody curve look like?
• What is the relationship between the color of a star and its temperature?
• What is Wien's Law and Stefan's Law?
• Telescopes
  • Light-Collecting Area
  • Angular Resolution
  • Refracting Telescope
  • Reflecting Telescope
  • Primary and Secondary Mirror
  • Newtonian Telescope
  • Cassegrain Telescope
  • Radio Telescopes
  • Light Pollution
  • Why do stars twinkle?

Chapter 11 - Survey of the Stars

• Luminosity
• Apparent Brightness
• Luminosity-Distance Formula B=L/4pr²
• Parallax Angle d=1/p
• parsec
• Apparent Magnitude
• Absolute Magnitude
• Spectral Types: O B A F G K M
• Binary Star Systems:
  • Visual Binary
  • Eclipsing Binary
  • Spectroscopic Binary
• Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
  • Main Squence
  • Red Giants
  • White Dwarf
• Main Squence Lifetime

Chapter 10 - Our Star, The Sun

• The Sun’s Interior
  • thermonuclear core
  • radiative zone
  • convective zone
• The Sun’s Atmosphere
  • photosphere
  • chromosphere
  • corona
• solar wind