## Quanta vs Photon

$c=\lambda v$

Eileen Si 1G
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:17 am

### Quanta vs Photon

What is the difference between quanta and photons? To my understanding, both can be used to quantify light, but how are they different?

505316964
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Quanta vs Photon

A photon has the properties of both a wave and particle, a quantum doesn't. The photon is the quantum of electromagnetic radiation, or the basic unit of light.
Quantum can be described as a measure of quantity but a photon is not about a measure of quantity. A photon is quantum but not all quanta are photons.

Letty Liu 2C
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Quanta vs Photon

I believe photons are particles representing a quantum of light, so photons are made up of quanta (which are quantities of energy).

Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:15 am

### Re: Quanta vs Photon

Quanta is simply a word used to describe a unit of something that is discrete and measured. A photon is a unit of light that can be described as a quanta.

GFolk_1D
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:15 am

### Re: Quanta vs Photon

Quantized objects have a discrete numerical value. For example, an electron cannot jump energy levels without having exactly the amount of energy needed to move (no more no less). Because there is no halfway point, it is quantized.