Light As Wave

LIGHT AS WAVE
AT THE END OF THIS SECTION, STUDENTS ARE

EXPECTED TO:
a. Cite examples of waves
b. Describe how the properties of light, such as propagation,
reflection, and refraction are explained by the wave model
c. Differentiate dispersion, scattering, interference, and
diffraction
d. Apply the velocity-wavelength-frequency equation
e. Explain common light phenomenon
f. Cite experimental evidences to support that light is a wave
WHAT IS A WAVE?
WAVES
➢Waves are a form of energy transmission
➢Mechanical waves are those which require
a physical medium to transmit that energy.
Examples of mechanical waves:
➢Sound – it can be transmitted through
air, water, or solid objects. No sound,
however, can be transmitted in a vacuum
➢The motion of the sea
➢Earthquakes produce waves called seismic
waves
WAVES
➢We shall
introduce light as
a wave, in
particular, an
electromagnetic
wave
LIGHT AS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE
➢Why is light called

electromagnetic?
Does it have electric
or magnetic charge?
LIGHT AS AN
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE
➢Why light is classified as EM can be
attributed to James Maxwell who produced
a set of equations which unified electricity
and magnetism
➢His equations revealed that changing
electric fields induces magnetism and
changing magnetic fields induces electricity
➢The interaction between charged particles
and magnetic objects is mediated by a field
of energy called electromagnetic field
LIGHT AS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE
➢EM field emits radiation which is
accompanied by measurable phenomena
such as frequency, wavelength, and speed,
which incidentally, are the same with those
found in light
➢It is for the same reason that light came
to be called an electromagnetic wave
because it displays the same characteristics
observed when electricity and magnetism
interact with each other
VELOCITY-WAVELENGTH-FREQUENCY EQUATION
➢There is a direct relationship among velocity, wavelength,
and frequency of a wave, be it a mechanical wave or an
EM wave
Mechanical Wave Electromagnetic Wave
v=λxf c=λxf
➢For both mechanical and EM waves, velocity is the
product of wavelength and frequency
➢For light,, this velocity is constant and in a vacuum, is
approximately 300,00 km/s
➢Wavelength is represented by λ (lowercase lambda)
➢We must remember that when light interacts with matter,
its velocity is slowed down
➢Period T, is also a quantity often seen in the study of waves. It measures the time it
takes for the wave to complete one cycle
➢Its a unit of measurement should be in seconds per cycle
2
➢For example, if a frequency of a wave is 2 Hz (2 cycles per second or 𝑠 or 2s-1), its
period is ½ seconds per cycle
➢If it is 3 KHz (3000 cycles per second), period is 0.0003 second per cycle
𝟏
f=
𝑻
➢For the EM spectrum, wavelength is measured in
nanometers. One nanometer is equivalent to 1
billionth of a meter
1,000,000,000 nanometer = 1meter
➢Angstrom (A) is another unit of measurement for
wavelengths. One A is equal to 0.1nm
1A = 0.1nm
EXAMPLE 1. FINDING THE WAVELENGTH AND
PERIOD
Soundwaves have a
speed of 344 m/s and a
frequency of
a.20 Hz
b.20 KHz
Find the wavelength
and period of each sound
PERIOD
Solution
a. Given: v = 344 m/s and f = 20 Hz
Required: λ and T
Solution: Solving for λ
𝑣
v = λf  λ= 𝑓
344 𝑚/𝑠
λ = 20 𝑠_1
=17.2 m
PERIOD
Solution
a. Solving for T
1 1
f= T=
𝑇 𝑓
1
= _1
20 𝑠
= 0.05 s
PERIOD
Solution
b. Solution: Solving for λ
𝑣
v = λf  λ= 𝑓
344 𝑚/𝑠
λ = 20,000 𝑠_1
=0.0172 m
PERIOD
Solution
b. Solving for T
1 1
f= T=
𝑇 𝑓
1
= _
20,000 𝑠 1
= 0.00005 s
EXAMPLE 2. FINDING THE WAVELENGTH OF
RADIO WAVES FROM AN AM STATION
An AM radio station
announces that they are
transmitting from an
assigned frequency of
594 KHz. What is the
wavelength of radio
waves transmitted by this
station?
RADIO WAVES FROM AN AM STATION
Solution:
Given: f = 594 KHz; c = 300,000 km/s (3.0 x 108 m/s)
Required: λ
Solution:
𝑐
λ=𝑓
3.0 𝑥 108 𝑚/𝑠
= _
5 1
5.94 𝑥 10 𝑠
= 505 m
RADIO WAVES FROM AN FM STATION
An FM station
announces they are
transmitting from a
frequency of 90.7 MHz.
What is the wave length of
radio waves being
transmitted by this station?
RADIO WAVES FROM AN FM STATION
Solution:
Given: f = 90.7 MHz (9.07 x 107 Hz); c = 3.00 x 108 m/s
Required: λ
Solution:
𝑐
λ=
𝑓
3.00 𝑥 108 𝑚/𝑠
= _
9.07 𝑥 107 𝑠 1
= 0.33 x 10
= 3.3 m
EVIDENCE THAT LIGHT IS A WAVE
➢The nature of light was a fiercely debated issue in the
1600’s, but when Newton published his particle theory of
light, many were won over to his side
➢Light, Newton believed., are like particles with mass and
speed, and, as such, it should behave according to the
laws of motion
➢But by the beginning of the 1800’s, new evidence was
discovered that supported wave theory, evidence that
cannot be explained by particle theory
DIFFRACTION
➢Diffraction, the bending of waves
around edges, is one character of
light which is easy to spot on and
which should suggest that light
behaves like a wave
➢If light is not a wave, the light that is
cast through a hole to a wall should
be have the same diameter as the
hole
➢But it does not. Instead, the projected
light has a longer diameter, light bent
around the edges of the hole
INTERFERENCE
➢In 1801, Thomas Young (1773 - 1829)
discovered that light interaction displayed
interference, a behavior which can be explained
only if light is a wave
➢Young conducted a double slit experiment.
Sunlight passing through the first slit is coherent
and is made to pass two slits close to each other
➢Light that passes through the two slits produces a
pattern of interference, a pattern possible only for
waves
INTERFERENCE
➢White bands of light are the effect produced
by constructive interference, dark bands by
destructive interference.
➢These phenomena occur when waves are
either in-phase or out-of-phase with each other
➢When waves are in-phase, the resulting
waves have larger amplitudes which give
bands of bright light
➢When they are out-of-phase, the resulting
waves have reduced amplitudes which give
dark bands or dim lights
INTERFERENCE
➢This is comparable with ripples of water
when they meet
➢When they are in-phase the crest of one
wave meets the crest of another resulting in a
wave with larger amplitude
➢When they are out-of-phase, the resulting
wave has a reduced amplitude
ELECTRON AS WAVE
➢The classical model of an electron
paints it as a particle spinning around
the nucleus of an atom like planets
orbiting the sun
➢However, Maxwell’s equations on
electromagnetism reveal that
interactions between electricity and
magnetism generate an
electromagnetic field, a field where
energy is being propagated by
electromagnetic waves
ELECTRON AS WAVE
➢Since electricity
describes the flow of
electrons, it is only fitting
to make a hypothesis
that electrons behave
pretty much like waves
themselves
ELECTRONS AS WAVE
➢In 1924, Louis-Victor de Broglie presented the de Broglie
hypothesis, which asserts that all matter, not just light,
behave like waves
➢His hypothesis was confirmed through two independent
experiments both about electron diffraction
➢The current scientific model of an electron is that it is a
transverse wave, in particular, a standing wave replaces
the classical “solar system” model of the atom
SO, IS LIGHT A PARTICLE OR A WAVE?
PARTICLE-WAVE DUALITY OF LIGHT
➢A concept which describes the character of light
➢Light is both a particle and wave
➢The wave part is useful in explaining why light travels through
space, how it displays behaviors such as refraction, interference,
and diffraction
➢The particle part is useful in explaining how light is emitted from
and absorbed by water
➢Frequency and wavelength are properties of waves, while energy
and momentum are properties of particles
➢Waves and particles are connected through Planck’s
energy-frequency equation,
E = hf
➢If we use Einstein’s energy equation,
E = mc2
➢The connection becomes more evident
E = mc2 = hf
➢It is not only light which is

both a particle and a wave,
matter itself is both a wave
and particle
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LIGHT AS WAVE

AT THE END OF THIS SECTION, STUDENTS ARE

➢Why is light called

Mechanical Wave Electromagnetic Wave

➢It is not only light which is

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