DHAM There is LAFF! For the last unit of the year :( it sure is bright and sunny! Our introductory day to Unit 7 included a fresh light montage. All classes got to watch Disneyland's Electric Light Parade and learned many cool facts about lights from the bright handouts we received. The two handouts showed us how big of a part EMR (electro-magnetic radiation) takes in our everyday lives. We first reviewed the EMR spectrum, which is in this order from least energy to highest energy:
radio micro infrared red orange yellow green blue indigo violet ultraviolet X-rays Gamma rays
(The higher the energy, the shorter the wavelengths and the higher the frequency)
In addition we were introduced to Nehemiah's Bagel Story, which was about a boy who always carried around a specific number of bagels. However, when given some more bagels, sometimes he would refuse, but other times, he would accept. And then later on, he would drop a specific number of bagels. This story explained how lights worked. Nehemiah was Neon, his bagels symbolized energy, and the pile of bagels dropped represented the spectrums that light emits.
Two days after being first introduced to this unit, Bender-led his first Power Point Lecture in Chemistry Honors class to give us a feel for what AP Chemistry is like. This light lecture was very integrated and taught us much new information. Here's a list of the main points.
radio micro infrared red orange yellow green blue indigo violet ultraviolet X-rays Gamma rays
(The higher the energy, the shorter the wavelengths and the higher the frequency)
In addition we were introduced to Nehemiah's Bagel Story, which was about a boy who always carried around a specific number of bagels. However, when given some more bagels, sometimes he would refuse, but other times, he would accept. And then later on, he would drop a specific number of bagels. This story explained how lights worked. Nehemiah was Neon, his bagels symbolized energy, and the pile of bagels dropped represented the spectrums that light emits.
Two days after being first introduced to this unit, Bender-led his first Power Point Lecture in Chemistry Honors class to give us a feel for what AP Chemistry is like. This light lecture was very integrated and taught us much new information. Here's a list of the main points.
- Planck's constant! (E=hv) Max Planck proposed that energy comes in packets called quanta
- Einstein used Quantum Theory to explain the Photoelectric Effect
- Bohr - discovered Hydrogen's secret code using Planck's theory; mathematically discovered how to find the wavelenghts of the spectrum we can see for hydrogen
- Bohr's main contributions: electrons can only have certain quantum of energy, which are involved in change of energy levels
- Every element has its own spectrum!
- Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb! He invented the carbon filament that burned for 40 hrs, and he also improved it to last 1200 hrs in 1880
- Incandescent lights - Argon(Ar) and Tungsten(W). Relatively low lifespan because W vaporizes away from filaments, and the filaments then break
- Fluorescent lights - Argon(Ar) and Mercury (Hg). Here's how it works: Ar and Hg gas are excited by electrivity. The electrons calm down and emit UV radiation and some visible light spectrum. Then, the phosphor coating absorbs the UV rays and reemits various parts of the spectrum so that almost all of it is emitted (it's almost white light)
- Incandescent vs. Fluorescent lightbulbs: incandescent - cheaper, safer (no Hg); fluorescent - more energy efficient and isn't 90% heat like incandescent
The response to the Light Lecture was a mixture of reations. Many thought the presentation was interesting and eye-opening to discover things like how EMR plays a tremendously important role in our lives, but I think everyone agrees that it was a very different experience, being taught for the first time through powerpoint. Annie Yau in period 2 said, "The Light Lecture was like an intro to AP Chemistry class, because the whole lecture was powerpoint based, and it was definitely different from what we were used to, but there were some interesting pictures, and it was good practice taking powerpoint notes." Overall, the Light Lecture was a unique and great experience. :)
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