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    Nature and Properties of Light

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    Carl Daniel Fandiño
    Light can behave as both a particle and a wave. As a particle, it is called a photon. Photons have no mass or charge but carry electromagnetic energy. The energy of a photon depends on its wavelength and can be calculated using Planck's constant and the speed of light. Light can also be described using a wave model where it consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space at the speed of light. The wavelength and amplitude characterize a light wave.

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    Nature and Properties of Light

    Uploaded by

    Carl Daniel Fandiño
    54 views16 pages
    Light can behave as both a particle and a wave. As a particle, it is called a photon. Photons have no mass or charge but carry electromagnetic energy. The energy of a photon depends on its wavelength and can be calculated using Planck's constant and the speed of light. Light can also be described using a wave model where it consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space at the speed of light. The wavelength and amplitude characterize a light wave.

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    Light can behave as both a particle and a wave. As a particle, it is called a photon. Photons have no mass or charge but carry electromagnetic energy. The energy of a photon depends on its wavelength and can be calculated using Planck's constant and the speed of light. Light can also be described using a wave model where it consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space at the speed of light. The wavelength and amplitude characterize a light wave.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    54 views16 pages

    Nature and Properties of Light

    Uploaded by

    Carl Daniel Fandiño
    Light can behave as both a particle and a wave. As a particle, it is called a photon. Photons have no mass or charge but carry electromagnetic energy. The energy of a photon depends on its wavelength and can be calculated using Planck's constant and the speed of light. Light can also be described using a wave model where it consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space at the speed of light. The wavelength and amplitude characterize a light wave.

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    NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF

    LIGHT
    What is light?
    This question has been debated for
    many centuries. The sun radiates
    light, electric lights brighten our
    darkness, and many other uses of
    light impact our lives daily. The
    answer, in short, is light is a special
    kind of electromagnetic energy.
    The speed of light, although quite
    fast, is not infinite. The speed of
    light in a vacuum is
    expressed as c = 2.99 × 10 m/s.
    8

    Light travels in a vacuum at a


    constant speed, and this speed is
    considered a universal constant.
    Two key properties of light
    interacting with a medium are:
    • 1. It can be deflected upon passing from one
    medium to another (refraction).
    • 2. It can be bounced off a surface (reflection).
    Dual Nature of Light
    • Scientists build models of physical processes
    to help them understand and predict behavior.
    So it is with light energy. It is through seeing
    the effects of light that the models are
    developed. Scientists have observed that light
    energy can behave like a wave as it moves
    through space, or it can behave like a discrete
    particle with a discrete amount of energy
    (quantum) that can be absorbed and emitted.
    Concept of a photon
    • The particle-like nature of light is modeled
    with photons. A photon has no mass and no
    charge.
    • It is a carrier of electromagnetic energy and
    interacts with other discrete particles
    (e.g.,electrons, atoms, and molecules).
    A beam of light is modeled as a
    stream of photons, each carrying a
    well-defined energy that is
    dependent upon the wavelength of
    the light. The energy of a given
    photon can be calculated by:
    Photon energy (E) = hc/λ
    Photon energy (E) = hc/λ

    where E is in joules

    h = Planck’s constant = 6.625 x 10-34 J•s

    c = Speed of light = 2.998 × 108 m/s

    λ = Wavelength of the light in meters


    Example
    Photons in a pale blue light have a
    wavelength of 500 nm. (The
    symbol nm is defined as a
    nanometer = 10-9 m.) What is the
    energy of this photon?
    Wave Model
    • The particle-like model of light describes large-
    scale effects such as light passing through
    lenses or bouncing off mirrors.
    • However, a wavelike model must be used to
    describe fine-scale effects such as interference
    and diffraction that occur when light passes
    through small openings or by sharp edges
    The propagation of light or
    electromagnetic energy through
    space can be described in terms of
    a traveling wave motion. The wave
    moves energy—without
    moving mass—from one place to
    another at a speed independent of
    its intensity or wavelength.
    Characteristics of light waves
    • An electromagnetic wave is made of an
    electric field and a magnetic field that
    alternately get weaker and stronger. The
    directions of the fields are at right angles
    to the direction the wave is moving, just
    as the motion of the water is up and
    down while a water wave moves
    horizontally.
    The maximum value of the wave
    displacement is called the amplitude
    (A) of the wave. The
    cycle starts at zero and repeats after a
    distance. This distance is called the
    wavelength (λ). Light
    can have different wavelengths, such
    as the blue light and red light shown in
    the Figure .
    The
    inverse of the wavelength (1/λ) is
    the wave number (ν), which is
    expressed in cm–1. The wave
    propagates at a wave speed (v).
    This wave speed in a vacuum is
    equal to c, and is less than c in
    a medium.

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