a p e sextendedwebsiteglossary- yahoo（p e sextendedwebsiteglossary -雅虎）.doc

ADDITIONAL TERMS FOR CHAPTER 1 albedo- the ratio of the light reflected from an unpolished surface to the total light falling upon that surface. Also refers to the reflectivity of a surface. allowance trading- the EPA sets maximums for industrial pollution. Companies polluting less than that value can trade or sell their unused allowance to other companies. angle of incidence- the angle that is formed between a light ray incident on a surface and an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the surface at the point the light ray meets the surface. If the sun is positioned directly overhead, the incoming sunlight strikes the surface of the Earth directly and is the most intense. As the sun moves away from being directly overhead, the angle of incidence decreases, as does the intensity of the radiation. atom- a unit of matter that is the smallest unit of an element and that still has all of the characteristics of that element. Atoms consist of a centrally located dense region known as the nucleus that is positively charged due to the presence of protons. Neutrons are also located in the nucleus. The nucleus is surrounded by a cloud of electrons. Electrons further away from the nucleus have more energy content. Atoms have an approximate diameter of 10-8 centimeter and remain undivided in chemical reactions except for limited removal, transfer, or exchange of certain electrons. atomic energy- also known as nuclear energy. Energy that is released and available due to controlled nuclear reactions- either fission or fusion. beta particle (() - a high-speed electron or positron, especially one emitted during a nuclear reaction. Big Bang- a theory that proposes that about 15 billion years ago all of the matter and the energy in the universe was concentrated into a space approximately the size of a penny. At some point a tremendous explosion occurred with the universe expanding outward from this central point. As the universe expanded outwa