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Mar 12, 2024 · Example 9: Momentum of a photon. According to the theory of relativity, the momentum of a beam of light is given by p = E / c. Apply this to find the momentum of a single photon in terms of its frequency, and in terms of its wavelength. Combining the equations p = E / c and E = hf, we find. p = E / c = h cf.
Einstein was fascinated by the nature of light. In 1905, nearly a decade after this first "thought experiment," Einstein answered these questions with his Special Theory of Relativity. The theory, which revolutionized our understanding of time and space, is based on Einstein's astonishing recognition that light always travels at a constant ...
So Einstein proposed that these light quanta were, in fact, real particles that could account for a few reasons and unexplained experiments having to do with knocking electrons off of metals and gas molecules. He turned out to be right on all counts, and got a Nobel Prize for his work. But that's a story for another day. Learn about Albert ...
Now that the dual nature of light as "both a particle and a wave" has been proved, its essential theory was further evolved from electromagnetics into quantum mechanics. Einstein believed light is a particle (photon) and the flow of photons is a wave. The main point of Einstein's light quantum theory is that light's energy is related to its ...
Einstein was the first to explain what was happening. He theorized that electromagnetic energy comes in packets, or quanta which we now call photons. So light behaves as a wave and as a particle, depending on the circumstances and the effect being observed. This concept is now known as wave-particle duality. Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in ...
Jan 19, 2023 · Figure 9.2.1: The Experimental Setup for the Photoelectric Effect. The photoelectric experiment allows us to test the wave model against the particle model, for this particular setup. As an experimenter, we have control over both the intensity of the light and the frequency of the light.
Dec 10, 2023 · Light below that frequency, no matter how bright, will not eject electrons. According to both Planck and Einstein, the energy of light is proportional to its frequency rather than its amplitude, there will be a minimum frequency \(\nu_0\) needed to eject an electron with no residual energy.
