Classroom Use for Why Things Have Color Applet

Initially apparent are several topics that can be discussed at length:

• Light is composed of colors that can be dispersed and recombined with a prism.
• A substance that absorbs a certain color appears to have the complementary color.
• The absorbed photons have an energy that corresponds to the spacing between quantum energy levels.
• The qualitative aspects of the particle in a box model:
  • a particle confined to some region of space will have discrete energy levels
  • the dependence on mass and length
• The visible spectrum, and it's relationship to the electromagnetic spectrum.
• How different molecular motions lead to absorption in different parts of the spectrum.

Additionally, the applet can be used to allow students to check their pencil & paper problems.