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Questions and Answers
What is the energy of a photon expressed in terms of frequency?
Which characteristic of a photon remains the same regardless of the intensity of the light source?
What is the momentum of a photon in terms of frequency?
Which of the following statements is true about photons?
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What happens to the number of photons when the intensity of light increases while maintaining the same wavelength?
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Which scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize for work related to the photoelectric effect in 1921?
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What law is conserved in a photon-particle collision?
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What was the outcome of the A.H. Compton's experiment in 1924?
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Study Notes
The Photon
- Light behaves as quanta or packets of energy in interaction with matter.
- Each packet of energy has energy hν called the light quantum.
- The light quantum (photon) is also associated with momentum (hν/c), further solidifying its particle nature.
- The particle-like behavior of light was confirmed by A.H. Compton's X-ray scattering experiment in 1924.
- Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 for his work on the elementary electric charge and the photoelectric effect.
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Photons have the following characteristics:
- They are particles of light.
- They have energy E (= hν) and momentum p (= hν/c) and travel at the speed of light.
- All photons of a specific frequency or wavelength have the same energy and momentum regardless of the radiation intensity.
- Photon energy is independent of radiation intensity. Increasing intensity only increases the number of photons passing through a given area per second.
- Photons are electrically neutral and not deflected by electric and magnetic fields.
- In photon-particle collisions, total energy and momentum are conserved. However, the number of photons might not be conserved as they can be created or absorbed.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of photons and their characteristics in this quiz. Delve into the particle nature of light, the significance of energy and momentum, and the groundbreaking contributions of physicists like Einstein and Millikan. Test your knowledge on how photons interact with matter.
