Discuss each question with your team. Be prepared to explain the reasoning behind your team's answers after the quiz.

  1. Which of the following best describes visible light?
    • The entire electromagnetic spectrum is visible
    • Only a small portion of wavelengths are visible
    • Only the shortest wavelengths are visible
    • Only the longest wavelengths are visible
    • Don't be ridiculous! You can't see light, it's far too fast!
  2. Which of these wavelengths is the shortest?
    • Microwaves
    • Infrared
    • Visible
    • X-Rays
    • Gamma Rays
  3. While observing the night sky you notice four stars: One red, one white, one blue, and one yellow. Which of these stars is hottest and which is coolest?
    • The temperature of the stars cannot be determined by their color
    • The red star is hottest and the blue star is coolest
    • The white star is hottest and the yellow star is coolest
    • The white star is hottest and the red star is coolest
    • The blue star is hottest and the red star is coolest
  4. Which of the following properties of an object can potentially be determined by observing light emitted by it?
    • Chemical composition
    • Temperature and luminosity
    • Distance and relative motion
    • All of the above
    • None of the above