Difference between wave model and particle model? [ENDORSED]

[Rebecca Chu 1C]

What exactly is the difference between the wave model and particle model?

[arina_m 1A]

Well essentially the two models are unrelated yet both can be applied to electromagnetic radiation because the observation of the photoelectric effect strongly supports the particle model which shows that electromagnetic radiation consists of photons that behave like particles while the observation of diffraction, the pattern of high and low intensities generated by an object in the path of a ray of light, supports the wave model showing that electromagnetic radiation behaves like waves.

[Jimmy lira-1G]

Re: Difference between wave model and particle model?
There are many differences among the wave and particle model, I found a comparison chart that might help with your dilema.
-Jimmy Lira -1G

[Isabelle De Rego 1A]

Light has photons, which are particles and light also has wave-like properties. Since intensity is equal to energy in a wave, light exhibits wave like properties. However, light is made up of photons and at a certain intensity, even thought there are more photons the overall energy is not affected. This is due to the fact that the frequency has to be increased in order for the photons to effect the overall energy because the photons are at too low of energy to displace an electron even if you continue to increase the intensity of the light.
Hope this helps!

[Jada Larson 1F]

I agree with the previous descriptions. For a more audio-visual answer, Khan academy offers a wonderful explanation of the difference between the wave model and the particle model in a video on de Broglie wavelength. (video:https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/quantum-physics/atoms-and-electrons/v/de-broglie-wavelength).

[Madeleine Farrington 1B]

Simply put, the wave model and particle model are just two ways of conceptualizing how light moves and interacts with things. The particle model comes in handy in understanding why increasing intensity of long wave-length light in the photoelectric experiment fails to cause emission of electrons, because the light is not acting like a wave.

[vivianndo_1L]

Regarding intensity, its properties vary according to which model you're looking at.

In the wave model, the intensity of the radiation is proportional to the square amplitude of the wave.
In the particle model, the intensity of the radiation is proportional to the number of photons present at each instant.