MMSC407 Exam 1 (Quiz 1-3) UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
What do optical techniques measure? Optical techniques measure how light interacts with matter and provide both
quantitative and qualitative information
What happens when light strikes a sample? Light may be absorbed, transmitted, reflected, refracted, or scattered
Why are optical techniques clinically relevant? They enable rapid and sensitive analysis in all areas of clinical testing
What is light in the context of optical techniques? Light is energy that propagates and transfers as waves
Which forms of electromagnetic radiation are commonly UV, visible, and infrared
used in labs?
Does light require a medium to travel? No, light can travel through a vacuum
What are the key characteristics of light? Wavelength, frequency, and energy
How is energy of light related to wavelength? Energy is inversely proportional to wavelength
What is wavelength (λ)? Distance between wave peaks, measured in nanometers
What is frequency (ν)? Number of waves per second
What is the UV-visible range used in labs? 200-700 nm
What is the visible spectrum? Portion of EM spectrum detectable by human eye, 380-750 nm
What does optical radiation include? UV, visible, and infrared light
What does absorbance spectrophotometry measure? The amount of light absorbed by a substance
Where is reflectance spectrophotometry commonly Dry chemistry analyzers and point-of-care testing
used?
What does fluorescence measure? Emitted light after excitation, used in immunoassays and molecular diagnostics
What does light scatter measure? Light redirected by particles in suspension, providing particle size, concentration,
and structure
How does a spectrophotometer measure absorbance? By passing light through a sample and measuring the decrease in intensity
What are common light sources in spectrophotometry? Deuterium lamp for UV (200-380 nm) and tungsten-halogen lamp for visible (380-
750 nm)
, What is a monochromator? Device that isolates a single wavelength from the light source
What are the parts of a monochromator? Entrance slit, dispersing element (prism or diffraction grating), exit slit
What is the purpose of the cuvette? Holds sample for measurement
Which cuvette materials are used for UV vs visible light? Quartz for UV, glass/plastic for visible
What does a detector do? Converts transmitted/absorbed light into an electrical signal proportional to
intensity
What are common detectors? Photomultiplier tube (PMT), photodiode, CCD
CORRECT Answers
What do optical techniques measure? Optical techniques measure how light interacts with matter and provide both
quantitative and qualitative information
What happens when light strikes a sample? Light may be absorbed, transmitted, reflected, refracted, or scattered
Why are optical techniques clinically relevant? They enable rapid and sensitive analysis in all areas of clinical testing
What is light in the context of optical techniques? Light is energy that propagates and transfers as waves
Which forms of electromagnetic radiation are commonly UV, visible, and infrared
used in labs?
Does light require a medium to travel? No, light can travel through a vacuum
What are the key characteristics of light? Wavelength, frequency, and energy
How is energy of light related to wavelength? Energy is inversely proportional to wavelength
What is wavelength (λ)? Distance between wave peaks, measured in nanometers
What is frequency (ν)? Number of waves per second
What is the UV-visible range used in labs? 200-700 nm
What is the visible spectrum? Portion of EM spectrum detectable by human eye, 380-750 nm
What does optical radiation include? UV, visible, and infrared light
What does absorbance spectrophotometry measure? The amount of light absorbed by a substance
Where is reflectance spectrophotometry commonly Dry chemistry analyzers and point-of-care testing
used?
What does fluorescence measure? Emitted light after excitation, used in immunoassays and molecular diagnostics
What does light scatter measure? Light redirected by particles in suspension, providing particle size, concentration,
and structure
How does a spectrophotometer measure absorbance? By passing light through a sample and measuring the decrease in intensity
What are common light sources in spectrophotometry? Deuterium lamp for UV (200-380 nm) and tungsten-halogen lamp for visible (380-
750 nm)
, What is a monochromator? Device that isolates a single wavelength from the light source
What are the parts of a monochromator? Entrance slit, dispersing element (prism or diffraction grating), exit slit
What is the purpose of the cuvette? Holds sample for measurement
Which cuvette materials are used for UV vs visible light? Quartz for UV, glass/plastic for visible
What does a detector do? Converts transmitted/absorbed light into an electrical signal proportional to
intensity
What are common detectors? Photomultiplier tube (PMT), photodiode, CCD
