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Ch 01: Units, Physical Quantities & Vectors
Chapter 1, Problem 38

A photon of green light has a wavelength of 520 nm. Find the photon's frequency, magnitude of momentum, and energy. Express the energy in both joules and electron volts.

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1
Calculate the frequency of the photon using the formula \( f = \frac{c}{\lambda} \), where \( c \) is the speed of light (approximately \( 3 \times 10^8 \) m/s) and \( \lambda \) is the wavelength in meters (520 nm = 520 x 10^{-9} m).
Determine the magnitude of the photon's momentum using the formula \( p = \frac{h}{\lambda} \), where \( h \) is Planck's constant (approximately \( 6.626 \times 10^{-34} \) Js).
Calculate the energy of the photon in joules using the formula \( E = h \cdot f \), where \( f \) is the frequency calculated in step 1.
Convert the energy from joules to electron volts using the conversion factor \( 1 \text{ eV} = 1.602 \times 10^{-19} \text{ J} \).
Summarize the results: the frequency, momentum, energy in joules, and energy in electron volts for the photon.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Wave-Particle Duality

Wave-particle duality is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics that describes how particles, such as photons, exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. This duality is crucial for understanding phenomena like interference and diffraction, as well as the quantization of energy in photons, which can be calculated using their wavelength.
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Photon Energy and Frequency Relationship

The energy of a photon is directly related to its frequency through the equation E = hf, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is frequency. This relationship allows us to calculate the energy of a photon when its frequency is known, and vice versa, highlighting the intrinsic link between these two properties.
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Momentum of a Photon

The momentum of a photon can be calculated using the formula p = E/c, where p is momentum, E is energy, and c is the speed of light. Despite having no mass, photons carry momentum due to their energy and the speed at which they travel, which is essential for understanding their interactions with matter, such as in the photoelectric effect.
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