The energy of a photon, which is the fundamental particle of light, is directly proportional to its frequency, not its amplitude or wavelength. In the context of light, amplitude refers to the strength or height of the wave, while wavelength refers to the distance between two successive peaks or troughs of the wave.
The energy of a photon can be determined using the equation:
E = hf
where E is the energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is the frequency of the light wave. This equation is known as the Planck-Einstein relation.
From this equation, it is evident that higher-frequency light (with higher f) carries more energy per photon compared to lower-frequency light. This means that photons with shorter wavelengths have higher energy than photons with longer wavelengths.
The amplitude of a light wave, on the other hand, determines the intensity or brightness of the light, but it does not directly affect the energy of individual photons. Increasing the amplitude of a light wave does not change the energy of the individual photons; it simply increases the number of photons or the overall intensity of the light.
To summarize:
- The energy of a photon is determined by its frequency (higher frequency means higher energy).
- Shorter wavelength light corresponds to higher-frequency light, thus higher energy.
- The amplitude of a light wave affects the intensity of the light but not the energy of individual photons.