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a laser pointer emits red light with a wavelength of 690 nm. calculate the energy of a photon of this light. include proper significant figures and units.

User Spidy
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Final answer:

The energy of a photon from a red laser, with a wavelength of 690 nm, is approximately 2.88 x 10^-19 Joules, calculated using Planck's constant and the speed of light.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked to calculate the energy of a photon emitted by a red laser pointer with a wavelength of 690 nm. To find this, we can use the formula E = h*c/λ, where E is the energy of a photon, h is Planck's constant (6.626 × 10-34 Joule·seconds), c is the speed of light (3 × 108 meters/second), and λ is the wavelength of the light (in meters).

First, convert the wavelength from nanometers to meters: 690 nm = 690 × 10-9 meters. Then apply the formula:

E = (6.626 × 10-34 J·s) * (3 × 108 m/s) / (690 × 10-9 m)

E ≈ 2.88 × 10-19 Joules per photon (rounded to three significant figures).

The energy of a photon can be calculated using the formula:

E = hc/λ

where:

E = energy of the photon

h = Planck's constant (6.626 × 10-34 J·s)

c = speed of light (3.00 × 108 m/s)

λ = wavelength of the light

Substituting the given values, we have:

E = (6.626 × 10-34 J·s)(3.00 × 108 m/s)/(690 × 10-9 m)

Calculating the numerical value, the energy of a photon of red light with a wavelength of 690 nm is approximately 2.87 × 10-19 J (joules).

The energy of a red light photon with a wavelength of 690 nm is approximately 2.88 × 10-19 Joules.

User Krisy
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