Question

Imagine two photons (packets of electromagnetic radiation). Lets call them Photon A and Photon B. The wavelength associated with Photon A is twice as large as Photon B. Which of the following is true?

a. Photon B carries twice as much energy as Photon A.
b. Photon A carries twice as much energy as Photon B.
c. Photon A and Photon B cary the same amount of energy.
d. It is impossible to know which contains more energy.

Answer 1

The answer is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

It is not possible to calculate the amount of energy because of the lack of information about the frequency of the packets of electromagnetic radiation because it depends on the frequency and the photons only travel at the speed of light which has only one factor, "frequency".

Answer 2

The true statement is:

d. It is impossible to know which contains more energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, the frequencies of Photon A and Photon B were not given. This makes it impossible to know which photon contains more energy than the other. Note that the amount of energy is directly proportional to the photon's electromagnetic frequency but inversely proportional to the wavelength. A description of the associated wavelengths was offered, but this description is not enough to help determine the energy of each photon. In conclusion, the photon's frequency determines its energy level just as the wavelength reduces its energy.