The energy of a photon is determined by its frequency, according to the equation:
E = h * f
where E is the energy of the photon, h is Planck's constant (approximately 6.626 x 10^-34 joule-seconds), and f is the frequency of the photon.
Radio waves have frequencies that typically range from a few kilohertz (kHz) to hundreds of gigahertz (GHz). Given this wide range, the energy of a radio wave photon can vary significantly.
To calculate the energy of a specific radio wave photon, you would need to know its exact frequency. For example, if we consider a radio wave with a frequency of 1 megahertz (1 MHz) which is commonly used for AM radio broadcasting, we can calculate the energy of the associated photon:
f = 1 MHz = 1 x 10^6 Hz
E = h * f = (6.626 x 10^-34 J s) * (1 x 10^6 Hz) ≈ 6.626 x 10^-28 joules
So, the approximate energy of a photon associated with a 1 MHz radio wave is around 6.626 x 10^-28 joules.
It's important to note that radio waves have relatively low energies compared to other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible light or X-rays.