The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Wave Particle duality?

So basically my physics teacher expects us to write us an essay on wave-particle duality over Christmas, even though we have our mocks after Christmas and he hasn't actually taught us it. I have read about it on a couple of websites, but would appreciate some help understanding it. Any attempts to explain it/ useful links/videos will be much appreciated, thank you
Topics he expects us to cover in our essay:
How I know light is a wave
How I know light is a particle
How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as particles
How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as waves
Are light and electrons waves, particles, both or neither?
What is a particle wave?
Original post by IssyCon
So basically my physics teacher expects us to write us an essay on wave-particle duality over Christmas, even though we have our mocks after Christmas and he hasn't actually taught us it. I have read about it on a couple of websites, but would appreciate some help understanding it. Any attempts to explain it/ useful links/videos will be much appreciated, thank you
Topics he expects us to cover in our essay:

How I know light is a wave

Consider diffraction, interference (young's double slits), etc

How I know light is a particle

Consider photoelectric effect

How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as particles

They have mass, momentum etc

How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as waves

Look up election diffraction

Are light and electrons waves, particles, both or neither?
What is a particle wave?

Look up wave-particle duality

Those are some prompts to guide your research



Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 2
Avatar for IssyCon
IssyCon
OP
12
Original post by kingaaran
How I know light is a wave

Consider diffraction, interference (young's double slits), etc

How I know light is a particle

Consider photoelectric effect

How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as particles

They have mass, momentum etc

How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as waves

Look up election diffraction

Are light and electrons waves, particles, both or neither?
What is a particle wave?

Look up wave-particle duality

Those are some prompts to guide your research



Posted from TSR Mobile


Thank you, that has helped me a lot. I think I know what sort of things I need to include now.
Original post by IssyCon
So basically my physics teacher expects us to write us an essay on wave-particle duality over Christmas, even though we have our mocks after Christmas and he hasn't actually taught us it. I have read about it on a couple of websites, but would appreciate some help understanding it. Any attempts to explain it/ useful links/videos will be much appreciated, thank you
Topics he expects us to cover in our essay:
How I know light is a wave
How I know light is a particle
How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as particles
How I know electrons and alpha particles behave as waves
Are light and electrons waves, particles, both or neither?
What is a particle wave?


Hi!

Just to write about Wave particle duality in general: there were different experiments done to light. According to the experiments (kinggaaran has named some of them above), their results and meanings lead to different appearance and imaginations of light. That is why the wave and the particle go for the light. These experiments have shown up that their is not a clear, but different appearance to light. According to what is examined by an experiment, light can be described as a wave or a particle. Hope this was a food for thought in terms of how to write an introduction for your essay. :smile:

.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 4
Avatar for IssyCon
IssyCon
OP
12
Written it now
Original post by IssyCon
Written it now


Everything is done? good. I wish you the best of luck for you and your essay. :smile:

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you