Physics
Physics
Problem
Photon A has twice the frequency of photon B. Which statement correctly compares their energies? a) Photon A has four times the energy of photon B. b) Photon A has half the energy of photon B. c) Photon A has twice the energy of photon B. d) Photon A and photon B have the same energy.Intuitive explanation
The key insight is that photon energy depends directly on frequency through Planck's relation , where is a constant. Since energy scales linearly with frequency—not quadratically or any other way—doubling the frequency means doubling the energy. This is one of the most fundamental relationships in quantum mechanics, and it applies regardless of what the photons are or where they came from.
Intuitive explanation
The key insight is that photon energy depends directly on frequency through Planck's relation , where is a constant. Since energy scales linearly with frequency—not quadratically or any other way—doubling the frequency means doubling the energy. This is one of the most fundamental relationships in quantum mechanics, and it applies regardless of what the photons are or where they came from.