(a) Explain wave-particle duality of light. (b) Illustrate your answer in (a) with observable phenomena.
Question 1 Report
(a) Explain wave-particle duality of light.
(b) Illustrate your answer in (a) with observable phenomena.
Answer Details
(a) Wave-particle duality of light
Wave-particle duality means that light has a dual nature: it can behave both as a wave and as a stream of particles (photons). In some experiments light shows wave properties, while in others it shows particle properties. No single model fully describes all the behaviour of light; the two descriptions complement each other.
(b) Observable phenomena illustrating this
Wave nature is shown by:
- Interference (for example Young's double-slit fringes).
- Diffraction of light around edges and through narrow slits.
- Polarization of light.
Particle nature is shown by:
- The photoelectric effect, where light ejects electrons only if its frequency is high enough (energy comes in photon packets \( E = hf \)).
- The Compton effect, where an X-ray photon collides with an electron like a particle.
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