Physics of Solar Power

The Sun Rising on a Solar Cell

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Solar Power Wave Physics

Physics is usually divided into two main categories, electricity and motion. This page deals with the motions that occur within solar power. For information on the physics of the electricity of solar power, follow the link to Solar Electronics.

The rays that come from the sun are actually another form of waves similar to the ones that come out of a radio. A wave is composed of a structure as pictured below. The maximum point that a wave reaches to is called its crest. The lowest point that a wave reaches is called the trough of the wave.

Picture of a Wave

Each wave has a specific wavelength, and is defined as the distance between two crests or two troughs. Wavelength is symbolized by the Greek letter lamda, .Another function of a wave is it's frequency. The velocity of a wave can be determined by using the equation:

Wave Velocity Equation

The velocity of light in a vacuum is used in this equation, and is often represented by the letter c. The value for the constant c is 3.0 * 10⁸ meters per second. When the frequency of light is known, the wavelength of the light can be determined by using the following equation. The previous equation turns into:

Now you can do some numeric problems to see if you fully understand the concepts mentioned on this page. Click on the next link to start working on a problem set. Solar Physics Problem Set

The waves that come from the sun are used in solar power either in heating a liquid such as water, or in producing electricity through solar cells called photovoltaics. The physics behind solar electricity production is discussed at the Solar Physics Electrics page. For a discussion of solar power as used in homes in heat production, check out the page for other Solar information.

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	Solar Power Wave Physics Physics is usually divided into two main categories, electricity and motion. This page deals with the motions that occur within solar power. For information on the physics of the electricity of solar power, follow the link to Solar Electronics. The rays that come from the sun are actually another form of waves similar to the ones that come out of a radio. A wave is composed of a structure as pictured below. The maximum point that a wave reaches to is called its crest. The lowest point that a wave reaches is called the trough of the wave. Each wave has a specific wavelength, and is defined as the distance between two crests or two troughs. Wavelength is symbolized by the Greek letter lamda, .Another function of a wave is it's frequency. The velocity of a wave can be determined by using the equation: The velocity of light in a vacuum is used in this equation, and is often represented by the letter c. The value for the constant c is 3.0 * 10⁸ meters per second. When the frequency of light is known, the wavelength of the light can be determined by using the following equation. The previous equation turns into: Now you can do some numeric problems to see if you fully understand the concepts mentioned on this page. Click on the next link to start working on a problem set. Solar Physics Problem Set The waves that come from the sun are used in solar power either in heating a liquid such as water, or in producing electricity through solar cells called photovoltaics. The physics behind solar electricity production is discussed at the Solar Physics Electrics page. For a discussion of solar power as used in homes in heat production, check out the page for other Solar information.