Asked in PMC Practice Test 3 (2022) 2022Moderate

If the clouds of the Earth behave like a black body, what will happen?

Correct answer: A. No light will reach the surface

  • A. No light will reach the surface
  • B. Extra light will reach the surface
  • C. Nothing will happen
  • D. Some light will reflect, and some will be absorbed

Explanation

If Earth's clouds were perfect black bodies, then they would absorb the sunlight falling on them and radiate that energy as heat. The heat would reach the surface of the Earth and the oceans, causing more clouds to form by the process of evaporation, followed by condensation. More clouds would eventually result in no light reaching the Earth's surface.

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Quantum theory treats electromagnetic radiation as packets of energy called photons, with energy proportional to frequency through E equals hf. The topic covers Planck's hypothesis, photon momentum, the photoelectric effect, threshold frequency, work function and wave particle duality, distinguishing quantised energy exchange from classical continuous radiation.

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