nature of light and matter

electric potential energy

the stored energy an electrically charged object has because of its position relative to other charged objects or its location within an electric field

blackbody radiation

the light and heat given off by an object based entirely on its temperature

electromagnetic radiation

radiant energy that exhibits wavelike behavior and travels through space at the speed of light in a vacuum.

energy quantization

the concept that energy can occur only in discrete units called quanta (staircase analogy)

frequency

the number of waves (cycles) per second that pass a given point in space.

hertz (hz)

si unit for frequency; cycles per second, 1/s or s⁻¹

photon

energy that makes up light

plancks constant

6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ m²kg/s or (J’s)

speed of light

2.998 × 10⁸ m/s

wavelength

the distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs in a wave

wave-particle duality of light

light exhibits properties of both continuous waves and discrete particles depending on the measurement or observation

visible spectrum

The range of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye, typically from approximately 400 to 700 nanometers.