Quantum World 1.3

[Amoreno Section 1E]

When frequency decreases why does the extent of the change in the electrical field decrease as well. We went over this in my discussion section but I'm still confused on why this occurs.

[Ben Rolnik 1D]

This is due to the photoelectric effect.

The idea is that the energy per photon is a function of h*v (frequency). So if frequency goes DOWN, wavelength goes UP -- and hence the electric field has less potential energy to influence electrons.

Think about it like this: as wavelength decreases (e.g. the electromagnetic radiation gets smaller -- from, say, visible light to UV light to x-rays), the ENERGY of the electric field goes UP because each photon can contribute more joules of energy upon atoms.... this directly relates to the Ephoton - Threshold Energy = Ekinetic equation we've been working with.

Hope this helps answer your question! Let me know if you need anything else.

[Joe Rich 1D]

You can also think about it in terms of the way the shape of the wave changes as frequency decreases. If frequency goes, down, this means wavelength goes up, and the wave of light flattens. The wave of light actually describes the oscillation of the electric and magnetic fields as light travels through space, so as the wave flattens, so does the extent of these oscillating fields.

[Ben Rolnik 1D]

You can also think about it in terms of the way the shape of the wave changes as frequency decreases. If frequency goes, down, this means wavelength goes up, and the wave of light flattens. The wave of light actually describes the oscillation of the electric and magnetic fields as light travels through space, so as the wave flattens, so does the extent of these oscillating fields.

Thinking about the wave "flattening" is a VERY helpful mental image! Thank you for adding this!