Couple weeks ago, we were learning about the animal kingdom "Protista" in A.P. Biology. This kingdom includes algae, the stuff that accumulates in aquariums and on beaches. Among the different kinds of algae like golden, brown, and diatoms, there are also red and green algae. Aside from the biological difference in the red and green algae, physics can also be used to describe the difference. Both red and green algae are photosynthetic multicellular organisms, but the red algae reflects red light and absorbs the green light, while the green algae reflects the green light an absorbs the red light.
We can see the color that is reflected off the algae. Light can either be reflected, absorbed, or passed right through an object. It passed through objects like glass because our eyes can see right through it. I think it is pretty cool how physics can help explain why some biology concepts make sense in a different way. I know that the different types of chlorophyll in the algae is the biology way of describing the different colors (like how green algae contains chlorophyll a and b, while red algae contains chlorophyll a and d), but physics concepts help explain it further.
3 comments:
i read your entry carefully... i actually like learning stuff from the students too, and learning about what's interesting to you. red algae and green algae. whowudda thunk?
he said "thunk"....hehe
if maxx were here, i'd thunk him with my foot. haha
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