Waves/Particles

[Jina Kwon]

I get that electromagnetic radiation has wave-particle duality, but where do the idea of photons come from?
Does that mean photons have characteristics relating to both waves and particles?

[Sarah Zhari 1D]

Photons act as particles of electromagnetic radiation, therefore they have particle characteristics

[BNgo_2L]

The particle part of the wave-particle duality derives from the characteristics of photons as they act as bundles of electromagnetic radiation when an electron emits it.

[MAC 4G]

Photons exhibit wave–particle duality, exhibiting properties of both waves and particles, in which they can have particle-like interactions (i.e. collisions) with electrons and other particles.

[Bryce Barbee]

From how I understand it, the photons deliver somewhat of a "package" of energy that allows the electrons to jump to different levels.

[alex_4l]

To add on, one of my chemistry professors had a really good explanation for what a photon is:

A photon is a discrete bundle of energy (we can think of it as a single packet of light or energy). Light (is a wave) acting as IF it were a particle. The amount of energy carried in the packet depends on the wavelength of the light (light when interacting with matter). Remember that energy is directly proportional to frequency so longer wavelengths have lower energy, vice versa, and it is inversely proportional to wavelength. Photons have no mass or charge and move at the speed of light.

Light acts like a particle when it interacts with matter, it then behaves as if it's matter. Light traveling in wave form, interacts with matter, acts like a particle. This should be looked at as an action of receiving absorption of light energy, it can have a force (no mass, but momentum). Just remember that light has properties of both waves and particles. It is a wave that sometimes behaves like a particle.

[Daniel Martinez 1k]

From my understanding, photons show wave-particle duality, meaning that they exhibit properties of being a particle and a wave (frequency, amplitude, wavelength, etc).

[chari_maya 3B]

In the homework, the first question asked how the fact that if an object is placed in an electron's path it casts a shadow, supports electron behavior as similar to that of radiation. This got me wondering what a shadow is and how the casting of a shadow works.

[Shrayes Raman]

Photons are the particles that are used in the particle way of thinking about light.

[Shrayes Raman]

Photons are the particles that are used in the particle way of thinking about light.

[Shutong Hou_1F]

It is actually light that has wave-particle duality, rather than photons. Instead, photons are used to represent the particle properties of light.

[AGulati_4A]

Photons are considered a subset of electromagnetic particles, hence all kinds of waves, including "visible light" are present of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

[Malia Shitabata 1F]

So the photons are acting as particles when emitted in the photoelectric effect, but I also wrote in my notes that electrons act as waves. Does it acts as both a wave and a particle or did I misunderstand the lecture?

[alex_4l]

So the photons are acting as particles when emitted in the photoelectric effect, but I also wrote in my notes that electrons act as waves. Does it acts as both a wave and a particle or did I misunderstand the lecture?

They can behave as both given the circumstance

[alicechien_4F]

So the photons are acting as particles when emitted in the photoelectric effect, but I also wrote in my notes that electrons act as waves. Does it acts as both a wave and a particle or did I misunderstand the lecture?

We typically treat electrons as particles, but because all objects have wavelengths (some are detectable and some are undetectable), electrons can also have wavelike qualities.