If a photon’s frequency doubles, what happens to its energy?

Prepare for the Chemistry CFE Test with our comprehensive quiz. Study using flashcards and multiple choice questions, each supplemented by hints and explanations. Get ready to excel!

Multiple Choice

If a photon’s frequency doubles, what happens to its energy?

Explanation:
A photon's energy scales with its frequency: E = h f. Here, h is Planck’s constant and f is the frequency. If the frequency doubles, the energy per photon doubles as well because h stays the same and energy changes directly with frequency. This relation is independent of how bright the light is (the number of photons)—that would affect total energy, but the energy of each individual photon depends only on its frequency. So doubling the frequency leads to doubling the photon's energy.

A photon's energy scales with its frequency: E = h f. Here, h is Planck’s constant and f is the frequency. If the frequency doubles, the energy per photon doubles as well because h stays the same and energy changes directly with frequency. This relation is independent of how bright the light is (the number of photons)—that would affect total energy, but the energy of each individual photon depends only on its frequency. So doubling the frequency leads to doubling the photon's energy.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Passetra

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy