Light and Quantized Energy

Vocabulary flashcards covering the wave and particle nature of light, electromagnetic radiation, wave properties, and quantum theory.

Electromagnetic radiation

A form of energy that exhibits wavelike behavior as it travels through space, which can be modeled as a wave of changing electric and magnetic fields.

Radiation

The rays and particles—alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays—that are emitted by radioactive material.

Rutherford's model

An atomic model proposing that an atom's mass is concentrated in the nucleus and that electrons move around it, which did not explain electron arrangement or why electrons are not drawn into the positive nucleus.

Wavelength ($\lambda$)

The shortest distance between equivalent points on a continuous wave.

Frequency ($\nu$)

The number of waves that pass a given point per second, measured in units of hertz ($\text{Hz}$ or $\text{s}^{-1}$).

Amplitude

The height of a wave measured from the origin to a crest.

Speed of light ($c$)

The product of an electromagnetic wave's wavelength and frequency ($c = \lambda\nu$), equal to $3.00 \times 10^8\,\text{m/s}$.

Electromagnetic spectrum

A continuum that includes all forms of electromagnetic radiation.

Quantum

The minimum amount of energy that can be gained or lost by an atom.

Planck's constant ($h$)

A fundamental constant with a value of $6.626 \times 10^{-34}\,\text{J}\cdot\text{s}$ that relates the energy of a quantum to the frequency of emitted radiation.

Photoelectric effect

The phenomenon in which electrons (called photoelectrons) are emitted from a metal's surface when light at or above a certain frequency shines on the surface.

Photon

A massless particle that carries a quantum of energy.

Dual nature of light

The principle proposed by Albert Einstein stating that a beam of light exhibits both wavelike and particle-like properties.