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Physics Cheat Sheet - LIGHT and MATTER

This document discusses several key concepts in waves and light, including: 1) Mechanical waves require a medium to propagate through, while light exhibits properties of both waves and particles. 2) Interference patterns arise from the constructive and destructive interference of waves, where crests and troughs meet in or out of phase. 3) The photoelectric effect demonstrated that light behaves as discrete packets of energy called photons, with frequency determining kinetic energy. 4) De Broglie postulated that all matter exhibits wave-particle duality, with wavelength dependent on momentum like photons.

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Kurt
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2K views

Physics Cheat Sheet - LIGHT and MATTER

This document discusses several key concepts in waves and light, including: 1) Mechanical waves require a medium to propagate through, while light exhibits properties of both waves and particles. 2) Interference patterns arise from the constructive and destructive interference of waves, where crests and troughs meet in or out of phase. 3) The photoelectric effect demonstrated that light behaves as discrete packets of energy called photons, with frequency determining kinetic energy. 4) De Broglie postulated that all matter exhibits wave-particle duality, with wavelength dependent on momentum like photons.

Uploaded by

Kurt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Waves transfer of eng without the net transfer of matter

Mechanical waves Requires a medium to propagate


through
Wave Amplitude maximum displacement a particle in a
mechanical wave has from its origin
Periodic Wave Source of disturbance undergoes continual
oscillation producing a constant wave

Light Properties Eng, no mass, no charge

Wave Model
Particle Model
Light beams cross
Linear Propagation
paths undisturbed
Reflection
Refraction (Snells Law)
Inverse Sq. law (I
Inverse Sq. law (I

1
D

1
2
D

Linear Propagation
Diffraction
Reflection The bending of a wave around a barrier,
obstacle or through a single slit
Path difference (PD) Difference in length from a point in
an interference pattern to the source
In phase sources produce waves at the same freq where a
crest meets a crest and a trough meets and trough
Constructive Interference addition of amplitudes arriving
in phase. Coherent has constant phase difference,
Destructive Interference Crest meets a trough, amplitudes
cancel
Antinode constructive interference location
Node Destructive interference location

E(J)= h(Js) f(Hz) =

hc

Plancks experiments

suggests light sources do not emit continuous waves of light


by instead, discrete bundled particles of eng called photons.
Planck suggested:
One photon can interact with one electron at any moment
Photons deliver all their eng to electron upon interaction
Total eng of light beam = number of photons (n) x hf
Work function (W) minimum eng (J) required for an
electron to escape from an atom (W = h fo)
Threshold Freq (fo) Minimum freq at which photoelectric
effect starts to occur (specific to different atoms)
When a light of freq f is shone on an atom: h f = W + Ek
Therefore:

1
2

m(vmax)2 = h f W

Einsteins relationship postulated that light travelled in


discrete packets of energy (quanta: hf) and defined
intensity as the number of photons, rather than the

amplitude/energy of a wave
If hf > W, left over eng. given off as Kinetic eng (E k)
[1] Ek = hf
W
[2] W = YIntercept
[3] f
independent
variable
[4] h =
gradient

Circumference of electron orbit =

Comptons relationship:

2D
w=
s

Increasing D = decreasing intensity, increasing fringe spacing


Diffraction

- Increasing wavelength of

light used increases diffraction and hence w (fringe spacing)

Swap terminals of battery (+ve terminal faces


cathode) for -ve voltage at cathode (location of light)
This gives the max Ek
Monochromatic
used
for this experiment
-ve
terminal towards light
cathode:
Accelerating
voltage (voltage
not impeding photocurrent)
Stopping voltage How much work done by load to stop
photoelectrons from being emitted
ONLY affected by freq of incident light (greater freq. = higher
stopping voltage
Ek =

1
2

mv2 = Stopping voltage (J)

Stopping voltage

(max speed)2 of fastest electrons

(v2) Varying Intensity of incident light


More intensity (Wm-2) = greater photocurrent because more
photons means more electrons can be ejected every second
Power output of light:

P=

J n h f
=
t
t

Plancks Constant h = 6.63 x 10-34 Js/= 4.14 x 10-15 eV_


1eV (1.6 x 10-19J ) Eng gained by electron after it is moved
by 1V pd
[1] eV to J ( by 1.6 x 10-19J)
10-19J)

[2] J to eV (

by 1.6 x

Only applies to objects with no mass, p =


momentum of photon
De Broglie replaced p with mv and postulated that
matter had wavelengths as well
Derived relationships:

Since: EK =
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
Photocurrent current induced by action of light
Photoelectron electron emitted from substance illuminated
by EMR
-ve terminal towards
cathode: Accelerating
voltage (voltage not
impeding
photocurrent)

P=

h hf Energy
= =
c
c

1 means significant diffraction

1
2

2 r

n (standing wave) forming a stable orbit

MATTER WAVES

Fringe spacing (w), Distance from screen (D), slit width (s)

Atoms emit specific amounts of eng to promote


their electrons to excited states
If an atom does not absorb enough eng to
promote its electrons to the next excitation
state, it retains the eng as kinetic eng for its
electrons
Electrons are unlikely to absorb eng in an
excited state, hence eng required to
promote an electron to a certain excited
state is always relative to the ground level
For example:
1st excitation state = 2eV, 2nd excitation state =
5ev
Difference in eng levels = 3eV
If an atoms 3ev, electrons will only be promoted
to the 1st excitation state and retain 1ev as Ek
It will NOT be promoted from the 1st excitation
state to the 2nd because it is unlikely excited
atoms absorb eng; even if the eng absorbed is
sufficient
Difference in successive eng levels becomes
smaller as you move to higher eng. level (n=0
and n=1 has the greatest difference)
Support for the dual nature of
matter____________________
Discrete eng levels for particles (electrons)
Electrons moved in waves inside their eng
levels (quantised)
Standing waves are the eng levels electrons exist
within; only certain of light will promote
electrons (resonance)

h
h
=
mv 2 m E k

mv2

De Broglie found that the diffraction pattern of x-rays


was similar to those of electrons. Hence the
wavelengths of electrons (particles) was similar to
those of X-Rays (waves)
Spectroscopes: Emission/Absorption
Spectra________________
Gas atoms absorb eng to promote their electrons to a
higher eng state. As they fall back to ground level
they release eng corresponding to different
wavelengths of light.
Electrons can emit their eng in various combinations
Because absorption
is a singular process
and emission occurs
in multiple steps
there are more
possible emission
lines than
absorption
lineshas
Ionisation level eng level where
an electron
sufficient eng to overcome the electrostatic force
binding it to the atom
Spectroscope qualitatively measures light emitted
by electrons
ROYGBIV. R greater wave than V, V higher freq
than R
Emission spectra bright bands on a backdrop
of black corresponding to the eng released by
electrons falling back to ground level (electron
configuration which gives the atom the most
stability and least eng)
Absorption spectra dark bands in the visible
spectrum due to the absorption of specific
wavelength of light by an atom
Atoms emit the same amount of eng they absorb

h
mv

h
=2 r
mv

(n=1,2,3 ...)
n = 1 (ground level), n=2 (1st excitation state),
etc.
If an integral number of wavelengths cannot fit
into the circumference of electron orbit,
destructive interference occurs and the orbit
(wavelength) is not an eng level
Left to right: n =3,4,5,6

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