Usable equations
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Usable equations
Could someone help clarify which equations can be applied to what? I know certain equations such as the de broglie wave equation should not be applied to light, so does this mean it cannot be applied to photons (rather just electrons, neutrons, and other particles)? Other than this restriction, all other equations can be applied to anything right?
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Re: Usable equations
A general rule of thumb my TA taught me is that if the equation involves an electron, or any substance that has a mass, use the de broglie equation. Other than that, photons, light and all the other stuff do not need to involve the debroglie equation.
Re: Usable equations
Photons are light, so you're right that the DeBroglie equation cannot be applied to photons. This equation can be applied to anything with mass such as electrons, neutrons, and other particles like you said. However, if you are measuring the wavelength of an object with a large enough mass, the wavelength would be too small to be significant.
I can't think of any other equations/formulas that have similar restrictions. But if you're using one that requires mass, then it would not be applicable to light since photons do not have mass.
I can't think of any other equations/formulas that have similar restrictions. But if you're using one that requires mass, then it would not be applicable to light since photons do not have mass.
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Re: Usable equations
My TA told me that the DeBroglie equation is generally applied to larger body objects (e.g. a baseball, human, etc).
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Re: Usable equations
I think Professor Lavelle mentioned in class that the De Broglie equation can be applied to any particle with momentum. As such, it isn't applicable to photons since they are particles of light, for which we use the equations we learned in units prior.
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