Fluorescence

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fluorescence

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the quantum yield?The ratio of photons emitted to photons absorbed, indicating fluorescence efficiency
2. What is the key biological fluorophore?Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), widely used as a marker in molecular biology
3. Why does something glow after absorbing light?When a molecule absorbs a photon, its electrons go to a higher state. They lose a little energy as heat, then jump back down and release a photon that is lower in energy, making the glow.
4. How long does the glowing last?The glowing lasts only a few nanoseconds, which is a very tiny amount of time—just a few billionths of a second.

Excited State: An electronic energy level higher than the ground state, occupied after absorbing energy.
Ground State: The lowest electronic energy level of an atom or molecule.
Photon: A quantum of electromagnetic radiation, a particle of light.