ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)General Science (GS)Medium
A technician is calibrating a sensor designed to measure the amount of light passing through a solution. Which property of light is most relevant to the sensor's ability to detect how much light is absorbed by the solution?
- AAbsorption
- BRefraction
- CReflection
- DDiffraction
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Absorption
When light passes through a solution, some of its energy can be absorbed by the molecules in the solution. A sensor detecting 'how much light is absorbed' is directly measuring the property of absorption.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
- C. Reflection is the bouncing back of light when it strikes a surface.
- D. Diffraction is the spreading of light waves as they pass through an opening or around an obstacle.
Light Absorption
The process by which the energy of a photon is taken up by matter, typically converting light energy into another form, such as thermal energy.
- Crucial for color perception (objects appear the color they reflect, not absorb).
- Basis for spectrophotometry and many analytical techniques.
- Involves electrons moving to higher energy levels.
Memory trick: Absorb takes in, Reflect bounces out, Refract bends about, Diffract spreads out.