Old stories deleted and kept here 7
What is the meaning of photons in simple English?
You have heard the name photons. You also know that they are related to light. Let us get the ultimate answer of what is the meaning of photons.
What is ‘photons of light’?
What is light? Light is a form of energy. Light is a kind of wave. Light is also a bunch of particles. But how is this possible? How can light be both wave and particle at the same time? I know our intuition does not let us believe in this. But, it is the basis of quantum physics.
In quantum physics, a stone has a wave associated with it and light has particles associated with it. These particles are photons of light.
Where can photons be found?
You can find light everywhere so you can find photons everywhere.
What do I mean by light?
Light means more than what enables us to see. X-rays do not let us see but even that is light in this context. By light, I mean every type of electromagnetic radiation.
What is electromagnetic radiation?
Electromagnetic radiation means electric field and magnetic field are associated with it.
Heat, UV light, and visible light from the sun travel to us in the form of electromagnetic waves. I refer to them all as light here. But, only visible light is what we can see. But, all three of them share the same nature.
When light travels, energy travels. Energy travels in the form of packets of energy. It cannot have any value but only certain permitted values.
What values can a photon of light have?
It all depends on the frequency of light. We should not think that brighter light has more energetic photons. Brighter or more intense light gives out more photons than dimmer light.
Suppose you use a dimmer light of higher frequency and brighter light of low frequency. What about the photons in the two cases?
The energy of a photon can be hf, 2hf, 3hf, 4hf, etc.
Here, f= frequency of light, and ‘h’ is Plack’s constant, a constant.
Now you can understand why frequency and not brightness determines the energy of a photon.
Where does photon come from?
Atoms have many electrons. The electrons revolve around the orbits. When a photon has more energy than it is in the outer orbit. A photon in the inner orbit has lesser energy.
So, an electron absorbs energy when it rises to a higher orbit. And, it releases energy when it falls to a lower orbit.
When are photons absorbed and released?
When an electron rises from a lower to a higher orbit, photons are absorbed. When an electron falls from a higher to a lower orbit, photons are released.
Where are photons absorbed and released?
When electrons absorb photons, they rise to higher orbits. So, electrons absorb photons. Photons are released outside the atom. The photons are released as packets of energy.
Where are photons created?
Photons are created when the electron moves from one orbit to another. Electrons reside in atoms. So, photons are created in atoms.
Where are photons located in the atom?
Photons are present inside electrons. The photons make the electron energetic. You find the packets of energy only outside the atoms. Inside the atoms, they are found in electrons.
When you understand something then you can explain it in simple language. It is what I am trying to do. My passion is science and knowledge. Now I have decided to turn that passion into a career. To support me, follow me on Medium.
Email me at subarnacreative@gmail.com.
Comments
Post a Comment