Final answer:
The energy of electromagnetic radiation is directly proportional to its frequency, with the equation E = hf, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is the frequency. Because the speed of light is constant, higher frequencies correlate with shorter wavelengths and higher energy photons.
Step-by-step explanation:
Relationship Between Energy and Frequency of Electromagnetic Radiation
The energy of electromagnetic radiation is directly linked to its frequency. This relationship is governed by the equation E = hf, where E represents the energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is the frequency of the electromagnetic wave. As the frequency increases, the energy of the radiation also increases, which is why higher frequency electromagnetic waves, like X-rays, carry more energy than lower frequency waves, such as radio waves.
The speed of light (c) is a fundamental constant and is related to both frequency (f) and wavelength (λ) of electromagnetic waves by the equation c = λf. Because the speed of light is constant, an increase in frequency corresponds to a decrease in wavelength. Hence, high-frequency electromagnetic radiation has a shorter wavelength.
When considering electromagnetic radiation in terms of photons, each photon carries a quantum of energy that is proportional to the frequency of the radiation. Thus, photons of violet light have a higher energy than those of red light due to their higher frequency within the spectrum of visible light.