Chapter 38, Problem 33A

To determine

The reason for causing skin damage by the ultraviolet light but not by the infrared light.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

The sun tanning is the damage of the skin cell due to high energy of the incident light on the skin. The energy per photon depends on the frequency of the incident light, so the damage of skin also depends on the frequency of the incident light.

The frequency of the ultraviolet light is higher than the infrared light, so the ultraviolet light carries more energy per photon than the infrared light.

The ultraviolet light is capable of producing more damage to skin than the infrared light due to high energy per photon of the ultraviolet light than the infrared light.

Conclusion:

The ultraviolet light is capable of producing more damage to skin than the infrared light due to high energy per photon of the ultraviolet light than the infrared light.