29.5 The Particle-Wave Duality We have long known that EM radiation is a wave, capable of interference and diffraction. We now see that light can be modeled as photons, which are massless particles. This may seem contradictory, since we ordinarily deal with large objects that never act like both wave and particle. An ocean wave, for example, looks nothing like a rock. To understand small-scale phenomena, we make analogies with the large-scale phenomena we observe directly. When we say something behaves like a wave, we mean it shows interference effects analogous to those seen in overlapping water waves. (See Figure 29.20.) Two examples of waves are sound and EM radiation. When we say something behaves like a particle, we mean that it interacts as a discrete unit with no interference effects. Examples of particles include electrons, atoms, and photons of EM radiation. How do we talk about a phenomenon that acts like both a particle and a wave? 1160 Chapter 29 | Introduction to Quantum Physics Min Max Min Max Min Photon Мах Min Waves Sand (a) (b) Figure 29.20 (a) The interference pattem for light through a double sit is a wave property understood by analogy to water waves. (b) The properties of photons having quantized energy and momentum and acting as a concentrated unit are understood by analogy to macroscopic particles.
29.5 The Particle-Wave Duality We have long known that EM radiation is a wave, capable of interference and diffraction. We now see that light can be modeled as photons, which are massless particles. This may seem contradictory, since we ordinarily deal with large objects that never act like both wave and particle. An ocean wave, for example, looks nothing like a rock. To understand small-scale phenomena, we make analogies with the large-scale phenomena we observe directly. When we say something behaves like a wave, we mean it shows interference effects analogous to those seen in overlapping water waves. (See Figure 29.20.) Two examples of waves are sound and EM radiation. When we say something behaves like a particle, we mean that it interacts as a discrete unit with no interference effects. Examples of particles include electrons, atoms, and photons of EM radiation. How do we talk about a phenomenon that acts like both a particle and a wave? 1160 Chapter 29 | Introduction to Quantum Physics Min Max Min Max Min Photon Мах Min Waves Sand (a) (b) Figure 29.20 (a) The interference pattem for light through a double sit is a wave property understood by analogy to water waves. (b) The properties of photons having quantized energy and momentum and acting as a concentrated unit are understood by analogy to macroscopic particles.
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The Particle-Wave Duality
• Explain what the term particle-wave duality means, and why it is applied to EM
Transcribed Image Text:29.5 The Particle-Wave Duality
We have long known that EM radiation is a wave, capable of interference and diffraction. We now see that light can be modeled
as photons, which are massless particles. This may seem contradictory, since we ordinarily deal with large objects that never act
like both wave and particle. An ocean wave, for example, looks nothing like a rock. To understand small-scale phenomena, we
make analogies with the large-scale phenomena we observe directly. When we say something behaves like a wave, we mean it
shows interference effects analogous to those seen in overlapping water waves. (See Figure 29.20.) Two examples of waves
are sound and EM radiation. When we say something behaves like a particle, we mean that it interacts as a discrete unit with no
interference effects. Examples of particles include electrons, atoms, and photons of EM radiation. How do we talk about a
phenomenon that acts like both a particle and a wave?
1160
Chapter 29 | Introduction to Quantum Physics
Min
Max
Min
Max
Min
Photon
Мах
Min
Waves
Sand
(a)
(b)
Figure 29.20 (a) The interference pattem for light through a double sit is a wave property understood by analogy to water waves. (b) The properties of
photons having quantized energy and momentum and acting as a concentrated unit are understood by analogy to macroscopic particles.
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