The relationship between frequency and wavelength of light is inverse: as the frequency of light increases, the wavelength decreases, and vice versa. This relationship is governed by the equation:
c = λν
where: c is the speed of light, λ (lambda) is the wavelength of light, and ν (nu) is the frequency of light.
Increasing the frequency of light corresponds to more energy per second. This relationship is explained by the wave-particle duality of light. According to the quantum theory, light can be described as discrete packets of energy called photons. The energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency, given by the equation:
E = hν
where: E is the energy of a photon, h is Planck's constant, and ν (nu) is the frequency of light.
As the frequency increases, each individual photon carries more energy. This is because the energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency, and higher frequency corresponds to higher energy.
Consequently, light with a higher frequency (shorter wavelength) carries more energy per second because there are more photons with higher energy arriving in a given time interval.