Nature of Light and Electromagnetic Radiation

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the nature of light and electromagnetic radiation.

Electromagnetic Radiation

A type of radiation that includes visible light, which propagates as waves.

Speed of Light

The speed at which electromagnetic waves propagate in a vacuum, approximately 300,000 km/s.

Wave Model

A model of light that represents it as a wave, specifically an electromagnetic wave that can travel through a vacuum.

Particle Model

A model of light that describes it as composed of photons, massless particles that carry energy.

Photons

Massless particles that make up light, each carrying a small amount of energy.

Quantum Mechanics

A branch of physics that studies quantization of energy at small scales, developed from the study of electromagnetic radiation.

Duality of Wave-Particle

The concept that light exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties.

Context Model

The framework used to analyze and interpret scientific information, in this case regarding light.