2007-11-12 05:31:35 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
It propagates as a wave, forming interference patterns and such, but when it is absorbed by an atom, only one atom is involved, but the entire wave disappears, regardless of how distributed. Since the atom in question is generally well localized (say, on the surface of photo film), it is considered a particle-particle interaction.
2007-11-12 05:37:58 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once heard it said that "light travels like a wave but arrives like a particle", though light is actually neither. Its just that thinking of it sometimes as a wave and sometimes as a particle helps to understand what lighht is doing. For instance if you're looking at how light interferes - think of it as a wave. When it hits a photo-detector and triggers a signal - think of it as a particle.
2007-11-12 06:06:07 · answer #2 · answered by black sheep 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wave particle duality
The Bohr model of the atom involved two puzzling features - the electron was treated as a wave, and light was treated as a particle (a photon). The connection to these new pictures of electrons and light from our more familiar view of an electron as a particle and light as a wave is provided by the relation............
see more here;
http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/mod_tech/node154.html
2007-11-12 05:39:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on which experiement you run, it will show that light is either a wave or a particle. So which is it "really"? It seems to be both at the same time.
A comprehensive description of the experiements can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality
2007-11-12 05:39:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi
dude light travels in the form of particles according to corpuscular theory of light and according to wave theory of light travels in the form of a wave.
so light is said to have dual wave-particle nature.
2007-11-12 05:35:14 · answer #5 · answered by nawaz_xan6 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wavelength =h mass x speed
which links the mass and speed of an electron to the wavelength of the associated wave, and by the relation
energy = h x frequency
which links the frequency of a light wave to the energy of the associated photon.
2007-11-12 05:40:42 · answer #6 · answered by Rimini f 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its rubbish. Light comes from your eyes like they originally thought!
2007-11-12 05:35:32 · answer #7 · answered by instantdegrees_scam 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋