Physics 10

2nd Long Exam Study Guide

Type of exam
Expect that approximately 60% of the exam will be of objective type (e.g. true or false, multiple choice, matching type,
identification, etc.) and the remaining of essay type.

Exam coverage
Lecture 07 Basic ideas about light
How did we realize that the speed of light is
finite? Compare and contrast the three major
theories about light and its interaction with
matter.
Explain why light is separated into different
colors (rainbow) when it passes through a glass
prism. How do the corpuscular and wave
theories of light explain this phenomenon?
How does Newton explain reflection and
refraction of light?
Support the following statement: Light is
regarded to be both a particle and a wave.
What is photoelectric effect? Why is the wave
theory of light inconsistent with this
phenomena? What is the significance of this
discovery to the development of optics?
Why was the standard meter stick preserved in
France abandoned in favor of the new definition
as distance traveled by light in vacuum within a
specified time?

Lecture 10 The trinity of color

What are the three factors that influence the
perception of color?
Given a colored object, what can be done to
make it look grey or black? How can a green
object seem to be yellowish?
Which part of the eyes that allows us to see
different kinds of colors? Which part allows us to
be sensitive enough to almost see through dark?

Lecture 08 Electricity, magnetism, and light

What are electric charges? What are the
properties of matter related to charges?
Can we create charges without violating the
conservation principle for charges? Cite an
example to prove your answer.
How the concept of the presence of field lines
did displaced the action-at-a-distance idea?
How is the electric and magnetic phenomena
connected?
How is light related to the electromagnetic wave
of J. Maxwell? Why is light said to be the
visible regime of the electromagnetic
spectrum? What makes them visible?

Lecture 12 General theory of relativity

How does the general theory of relativity
extend the analysis of the special theory of
relativity?
Why is it that the general theory of relativity is
better in explaining the equivalence of inertial
and gravitational masses than the versions of
Newton?
Give at least one of the predicted consequences
of the general theory of relativity. Was this
consequence actually observed? How?
What does the big bang theory say about the
universe? What is the bang all about?
The big bang theory explains only onwards
from 10-44 seconds since beginning of the
supposed bang. Why is this so?

Lecture 09 Quantum theory

Contrast how energy is quantified in the wave
and particle theories of light. How does
quantum theory view the increase in the
intensity of incident light on matter?
What are blackbody and blackbody radiation?
How did the blackbody problem result to the
quantum theory of light? What is the so-called
ultraviolet catastrophe? How does the
perceived color changes with the objects
temperature?
Why sometimes even very intense red light cant
produce current in a photoelectric effect
experiment while blue light can? Give an
example of everyday phenomenon/device that
involves photoelectric effect?

Lecture 11 Special theory of relativity

What is (luminiferous) ether (or aether)? How
significant was it in the development of the
special theory of relativity?
What are the two postulates of special relativity?
Given two observers moving at a constant
velocity with respect to each other, what does
special relativity say about the speed of light as
measured by each of them?
Give at least two consequences of the special
relativity. Give an example for each.