Reflection on the Energy of a Photon

What is the energy in Joules of one photon with a wavelength of 346 nm?

How can we calculate the energy of a photon based on its wavelength?

Final answer:

The energy of one photon with a wavelength of 346 nm is 5.67 × 10⁻¹⁹ J.

Reflecting on the energy of a photon can provide insights into the quantum nature of light. To calculate the energy of a photon with a specific wavelength, we can use fundamental equations from quantum physics.

One such equation is E = hf, where E represents the energy in Joules, h is Planck's constant (6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s), and f is the frequency of the photon. The frequency can be determined by the equation c = λf, where c is the speed of light (3.00 × 10⁸ m/s) and λ is the wavelength of the photon.

By rearranging the equation, we can find the energy per photon. In this case, with a wavelength of 346 nm (or 346 × 10⁻⁹ m), the calculation yields an energy of 5.67 × 10⁻¹⁹ J for one photon.

This calculation provides a quantitative understanding of the energy carried by photons at the quantum level and highlights the relationship between wavelength, frequency, and energy in the realm of particle-wave duality.