Read the following passage and study the graph. Some of this is new information, but everything you need to successfully answer the questions is provided in the passage and in the graph. This is an exercise in careful reading.
A pigment is a substance that absorbs light of particular wavelengths. Plants contain multiple types of pigments, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids. If you see a leaf that is green or green-yellow in color, that is due to a pigment in the leaf called chlorophyll. Sunlight, which is categorized as "white" light, contains all of the colors of the spectrum. When it shines on the plant leaf, the chlorophyll absorbs some wavelengths and reflects other wavelengths. That is why you see specific colors. There are two different forms of chlorophyll (chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b), and they each absorb and reflect different ranges of wavelengths.
A spectrophotometer is an instrument that can be used to measure the amount of light absorbed by a pigment. The graph below shows the percent of light energy absorbed for the different light wavelengths. The highest peaks represent the colors that the chlorophyll absorbs the most; therefore, the highest peaks are the colors that are seen the least.
The green line is for the chlorophyll a pigment. It tends to have a green or blue-green appearance. Chlorophyll a is the primary pigment used for photosynthesis.
The red line is for the chlorophyll b pigment. It tends to have a more yellow-green or olive green appearance. Chlorophyll b is a secondary pigment used for photosynthesis. Because it absorbs light in slightly different wavelengths, it increases the amount of useful light plants can employ when performing photosynthesis, especially in shaded areas.
blue green yellow orange red
Source: Minott, Claudett. “What Is Absorption Spectroscopy?”
Question 1
8. According to the graph above, which chlorophyll is going to appear more in the green-to-blue-green range to our eyes? (Hint: Look at the line for chlorophyll a and the line for chlorophyll b. Which one has a "valley" that spans a wider range of green light?)(1 point)
Responses
chlorophyll a
chlorophyll a
chlorophyll b
chlorophyll b
Question 2
9. According to the graph above, which chlorophyll has greater absorbance peak for the dark orange (or orange-red) light wavelength? (Hint: Look at the line for chlorophyll a and the line for chlorophyll b. Which one has a higher peak in the dark orange or orange-red range?)(1 point)
Responses
chlorophyll a
chlorophyll a
chlorophyll b
chlorophyll b
Question 3
10. According to the graph above, which of the colors absorbed by chlorophyll b has the greatest absorbance? (Hint: Look at the red line for chlorophyll b. Find the color associated with its highest peak.)(1 point)
Responses
blue
blue
green
green
red
red
yellow
yellow
1 answer
Based on the information provided in the passage and graph:
Question 1: According to the graph, which chlorophyll is going to appear more in the green-to-blue-green range to our eyes?
Question 2: According to the graph, which chlorophyll has the greater absorbance peak for the dark orange (or orange-red) light wavelength?
Question 3: According to the graph, which of the colors absorbed by chlorophyll b has the greatest absorbance?
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer