Why is light both a wave and a particle?

Quantum mechanics tells us that light can behave simultaneously as a particle or a wave. When UV light hits a metal surface, it causes an emission of electrons. Albert Einstein explained this “photoelectric” effect by proposing that light – thought to only be a wave – is also a stream of particles.

Is light a particle a wave or both particle and wave?

Light can be described both as a wave and as a particle. When we’re thinking of light as being made of of particles, these particles are called “photons”. Photons have no mass, and each one carries a specific amount of energy.

Why light must be a particle?

Light behaves mainly like a wave but it can also be considered to consist of tiny packages of energy called photons. Photons carry a fixed amount of energy but have no mass. They also found that increasing the intensity of light increased the number of electrons ejected, but not their speed. …

Is lightlight a particle or a wave?

Light is an electromagnetic wave and it possess both properties of a particle and wave. Looking at the image I can imagine how it behaves like a wave. However, I’m not sure how it can behave like a particle. If it behaves like a particle shouldn’t it also look like one?

What is the difference between electromagnetic waves and electromagnetic photons?

Electromagnetic waves are a fundamentally classical concept. For wave particle duality we need the domain of quantum mechanics. Consider this wikipedia definition of photon “The photon is a type of elementary particle. It is the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves…”

What is the wavelength of visible light?

When photons vibrate at a certain range of frequencies (wavelengths of about 390 to 700 nm), based on their energy content, we call the corresponding wave packet of electromagnetic radiation “ visible light ” (a small range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum ).

Is electromagnetic radiation a wave or a particle?

Likewise Electromagnetic radiation is not wave or particle as per quantum mechanics but actually neither and you need both these concepts to understand it fully. So how does EM wave behave like particles? It is a inherent result of its quantum nature.