Physics Principles and Problems 2009

Chapter 16: Fundamentals of Light

Problem of the Week

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Mucus
You all know what mucus is, it's that slimy, gooey stuff that occasionally comes out your nose. Actually, your nose is continually producing mucus, up to a liter a day. Most of the mucus is swept back into the throat and down to the stomach.
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Cold (a.k.a. Upper Respiratory Tract Infection)
Colds are caused by viruses. And when you become infected by a virus, your body's immune system stimulates your nasal membranes to produce excessive amount of mucus, some of which invariable falls out the front of your nose.
Here is the interesting part: we are not the only ones who are able to eat mucus. Bacteria find the slimy stuff downright tasty. If the mucus builds up in our nose, we may end up with a bacterial infection too.

Two species of bacteria find human mucus especially appetizing, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas pyrocyanea. Both of these bacteria have color. From the photo you can see S. aureus's color, and with a little hint, you can figure out the color of P. pyrocyanea.

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Culture of Staphylococcus aureus
<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=gif::::/sites/dl/free/0078807220/193800/POWproblem1.gif','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (0.0K)</a> What is the likely range of frequencies that each of these bacteria absorb?
 
<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=gif::::/sites/dl/free/0078807220/193800/POWproblem2.gif','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (0.0K)</a> Suppose these two critters set up shop in your nose. What color will your mucus be?
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