Final answer:
The speed of light equation is c = λf, where c is the speed of light, λ is the wavelength, and f is the frequency. The energy of a photon is given by E = hf, with h being Planck's constant. The energy can also be calculated using E = hc / λ without directly knowing the frequency.
Step-by-step explanation:
Wavelength, Frequency, and the Speed of Light
The relationship between the wavelength (λ), frequency (f), and the speed of light (c) is given by the equation c = λf. Here, c is a constant value representing the speed of light in a vacuum, which is approximately 2.998 x 10⁸ m/s. Wavelength is the distance between two successive crests or troughs of a wave, and frequency is the number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit of time.
Energy of a Photon and Planck's Constant
The energy of a photon (E) is related to its frequency by the equation E = hf, where h is Planck's constant (6.626 x 10⁻³4 J⋅s) and f is the frequency of the photon. This equation illustrates the particle nature of light, showing that a photon's energy is quantized and directly proportional to its frequency.
To find the energy of a photon when given its wavelength, we can combine the two equations to get E = hc / λ, thus eliminating the need for the frequency in the calculation.