## Determining whether or not there are wavelike properties

$\lambda=\frac{h}{p}$

Danielle Fabian 1H
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:00 am

### Determining whether or not there are wavelike properties

I was reviewing the worked examples on page 12 in the 2015 version of the course reader and was a little confused. How small does the solution have to be in order to determine that it is too small to be detected?

Samantha Miceli 3J
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:00 am

### Re: Determining whether or not there are wavelike properties

From my understanding, the smallest amount the solution can be is _x10^-15 in order to be detected. A number smaller than this, such as x10^-38 in the example on page 12 is too small to be detected, but larger numbers such as x10^-10 in the second example are large enough to be detected. Generally, particles in the atomic scale are detected, whereas objects like a car or a baseball are too large to have measurable wavelike properties.

Gurkamal Dhaliwal 3A
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:00 am

### Re: Determining whether or not there are wavelike properties

I disagree that the smallest detectable wavelength is x 10^-15. According to the notes on the page before that worked example (page 11 in the 2015 course reader), the wavelength of an electron in an atom is x 10^-12. Since electrons do create diffraction patterns, I believe that this is the smallest detectable wavelength. However, it seems, generally, that particles on the atomic scale are the ones that tend to be detected since they have a much smaller mass and a higher velocity than those of a larger scale like a car.