Waves and Particles
Light not only moves in waves, it also moves with little particles. Scientists call these particles of light quanta (one would be a Quantum or Photon). These packets contain the energy that is the light. Scientists measure something called the relative energy of different types of light. Relative energy is an inverse measure of the wavelength. Inverse means '1' divided by the number. When you do that division, you can figure out... If a type of light has a shorter wavelength... It has a higher energy.Many Kinds Of Light, Same Particles
If you compare different types of light, you can see that some types of light have more energy than others. As you move up the EM spectrum and the wavelengths get smaller, the types of light have more energy. The big idea to remember is that light is both waves, and energy (transmitted with particles). Some have longer waves and some have more energy.One More Time
Compare different types of light. You will see that as you move up the EM spectrum and the wavelengths get smaller, those types of light have more energy. The big idea to remember is that light consists of both waves, and energy (transmitted with particles). EM radiation, like gamma waves and cosmic waves, has huge amounts of energy compared to a radio wave. When you look at the visible part of the spectrum, you will see that violet light is more energetic than light from the red part of the spectrum.
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- Overview
- EM Spectrum
- Quanta
- Waves
- Solar Radiation
- Emittance
- Balance
- Global Geometry
- Movement
- Interaction
- Transmission
- Temperature
- More Topics
Einstein’s Cosmic Speed Limit (NASA/GSFC Video)
Useful Reference Materials
Encyclopedia.com (Quantum Theory):http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/quantum_theory.aspx
Wikipedia (Energy Quantization):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_quantization
Encyclopædia Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/486168/quantum
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