Absorption Quiz

Absorption: an interactive quiz

This is a learning by doing activity. Start with basic facts and build from there.

First Question (of 15)

An automobile muffler absorbs sound. A sponge absorbs liquids.

❝ A sponge will soak up a spill,
until all its spaces are filled.
Unlike activated charcoal,
it’s surface so powerful,
the bulk of the sponge has skill. ❞

From these examples, absorption seems to be a process of taking in, reducing, or coming together?

Taking in. ✔

The sponge and paper towel take liquid into their bulk. The muffler takes in sound. They do that by trapping, erasing, or cancelling?

Um, no. Not reducing.

The elements are still there, not taken away, which sounds more like taking in or coming together?

Maybe not coming together.

One element encloses the other. This suggests taking in or reducing?

They absorb by trapping. ✔

Water fills spaces between paper fibres. Sound fills chambers (baffles) in the muffler. Water then turns to gas. It evaporates. Sound turns into vapour, heat, or soot?

Not by erasing.

The elements are still there, not removed. That suggests trapping or cancelling?

Not cancelling.

One element encloses the other. That suggests trapping or erasing?

Sound turns into heat. ✔

Trapped sound energy turns into heat or kinetic energy (vibration). It dissipates. More spaces make for a better trap. Sound is more reflected back in a room by the hardwood floor, carpet, or ceiling tiles?

Sound doesn’t become vapour.

Sounds is a form of energy. That suggests it becomes soot or heat?

Soot, nope.

Soot is fine particles of carbon. Heat is a form of energy, not matter. So it probably becomes heat or vapour?

Smooth surfaces bounce sound. ✔

Hardwood floors are smooth, which means fewer absorbing spaces to trap sound. Kitchen aluminum foil is also smooth. At least on one side. Dull on the other side. To cook food faster in the oven, on the outside have the smooth side, dull side, or it doesn’t matter?

Not the carpet.

Carpets and rugs have many fibres to trap sound. Sound is better reflected by the hardwood floor or the ceiling tiles?

Not so much the ceiling tiles.

They have a rough surface and may have material pores to absorb sound. Better would be the hardwood floor or carpets and rugs?

Dull side out = faster result. ✔︎

Having the dull side out will cause food to cook faster in an oven and cool quicker in a freezer.

Like liquids, gases can also be absorbed. Sometimes even into liquids. Gas absorbed in a liquid is demonstrated by pop can fizz, air making soap bubbles round, or burping?

Not the smooth side.

Smooth surfaces tend to reflect energy. That suggests the duller is better or it doesn’t much matter?

It does matter.

There is a difference. The more efficient side is the smooth or dull side?

Fizz it is. ✔

Carbon dioxide absorbed in pop gives fizz. Gas absorbs into fluids in parts of our bodies. Gas in a body fluid is demonstrated by farting, cracking knuckles, or sneezing?

Not by air in bubbles.

The air isn’t absorbed into the liquid film. What is, is pop fizz or burping?

Excuse you, not burping.

That’s air pushed out, not absorbed. A better choice is pop can fizz or air in bubbles?

Knuckles crack by gas. ✔

Knuckle cracking is like pop can fizz. There is fluid between finger joints. Synovial fluid. It absorbs carbon dioxide in your body. Fluid seem like it would muffle sound. Pulling or pressing makes knuckles “crack” by lowering or increasing pressure in the synovial fluid, or by forcing gas into finger bones?

Urk, no. That won’t do.

Gas in a body fluid, not just gas in a body. That suggests cracking knuckles or sneezing?

Not sneezing.

Sneezing expels air, but we’re talking about gas in a body fluid. More like farting or cracking knuckles?

By lowering pressure. ✔

Separating bones will lower pressure in the fluid. That releases the carbon dioxide as bubbles. Collapsing bubbles produces pop. The gas reabsorbs and you can crack again.

Light rays can also be absorbed. Dirt absorbs about 90% of the light that hits it. The least likely to absorb light rays is fresh-fallen snow, a black-top road, or a concrete sidewalk

Not increasing, the opposite.

Pulling apart lowers the pressure between the bones. That suggests lowering pressure in the synovial fluid or forcing gas into finger bones?

Not forcing into bones.

The gas is in the fluid between the bones. That suggests increasing or lowering pressure in the synovial fluid?

Snow, yes. ✔

Fresh fallen snow reflects back about 90%. Best wear sunglasses when skiing. The term for percentage of energy reflected from an object is albedo. The albedo of dirt (garden soil) is about 10%, 50%, or 90%?

Not asphalt.

Dark surfaces tend to absorb. That suggests fresh-fallen snow or a concrete sidewalk?

Not the sidewalk.

The ligher the surface, the higher the reflection. That suggests fresh snow or an asphalt road?

Yup, about ten percent. ✔

If dirt absorbs 90%, then it reflects 10%, which is the measure of albedo. Typical albedo of concrete is 22%. Blacktop, 8%.

To prevent floods, airplanes sometimes drop black soot. They drop it on snowed-in mountain sides a few weeks before the beginning of spring. This works because fresh snow has a high albedo, dirty snow has a high albedo, or soot has a low albedo?

Not fifty percent.

Soil is dark, which tens to absorb. Soil more likely has an albedo of 10% or 90%?

Not ninety percent.

Ninety percent is a lot of reflection. Dirt doesn’t seem to reflect well, so soil albedo is more likely 10% or 50%?

Because soot has a low albedo. ✔

Sooty snow absorbs more radiant energy from the sun. Warming helps the snow melt before the spring thaw. That may prevent run-offs that can cause floods.

There are reasons few houses painted in dark colours. One reason is temperature. Colour affects albedo, which affects temperature. A white shirt will keep you cooler on a sunny day than a black shirt since white reflects better, absorbs better, or has a lower albedo?

Not by a high albedo.

High reflection would absorb little heat. More likely dirty snow has a high albedo or soot has a low albedo?

Not a lower albedo.

Soot tends to absorb effectively, so it is probably that fresh snow has a high albedo or dirty snow has a high albedo?

White reflects better. ✔

That helps keep you cool in sunlight. A white shirt also last longer. Light causes fading.

Another way to maintain temperature is with double pane windows. They have a thin layer of air between two panes of glass. Air is an insulator. That means it resists letting heat pass through.

Triple-pane windows are not much better than double since they’re more expensive, two air layers cancel out, or one layer of air will work?

Not by absorbing better.

Light colours reflect better than dark colours. That suggests the shirt reflects better or has a lower albedo?

The shirt doesn’t have a low albedo.

Since light colours tend to reflect, the shirt probably reflects better or absorbs better?

Even a thin layer of air is enough ✔

Double pane windows hold house heat by an insulating dead air space. The thickness of dead air space is not significant. Triple pane is about equal to double pane.

Suppose the albedo of glass is 90% and a window has more than one pane. The window lets in less than half the light if it has four, eight or a dozen panes?

Not by canceling layers.

Triple isn’t worse than double. It is just that they are more expensive or one layer of air will work?

Not that it may be more expensive.

The question has to do with insulation, not expense. Basically two air layers cancel out or one layer of air will work?

Eight panes. ✔

To let in less than half of the light falling upon the first pane, the window would need eight panes. Pane 1: 90% of the incident light. Pane 2: 81%. Pane 3: 72.9%. Each time, multiply by 0.9. Pane 8 transmits less than half of the light incident upon pane 1.

Last Question

A sponge works by absorption. A gas mask works by adsorption. Not the same. One takes into its bulk. The other collects on its surface. A gas mask contains activated charcoal. Poisonous gas adsorbs to the surface of the charcoal. A similar example of adsorption is silica gel packets in new shoes, light reflecting off a pool of water, or paper filter in a coffee maker?

Not that few.

Pane 1: 90% of the incident light. Pane 2: 81%. Pane 3: 72.9% and so on. So half the light takes eight panes or a dozen panes?

Not so many.

Each time, multiply by 0.9 to find half the light requires four panes or eight panes?

Silica packets. ✔

Silica gel packets are a drying agent, a desiccant. The gel removes humidity by adsorption. Moisture sticks to the surface of the gel, but is not absorbed into it.

❖

Replay?

Not light reflecting.

Perhaps you are thinking of albedo. Adsorption is more like silica gel packets in new shoes or paper filter in a coffee maker?

Not the coffee filter.

Perhaps you are thinking of absorption. This is adsorption and more like silica gel packets in new shoes or light reflecting off a pool of water?