Sunday, September 23, 2007

LIGHT + LIGHT = SHADOW



One of the most puzzling physics demonstrations can be one of the most illuminating!
How can a bright flame have a shadow?
It's an example of how electrons can increase their energy state by absorbing photons of light energy and then, when they "fall" back down to their lower energy state, emit a photon of light.
This is a good way to understand quantum theory. The electron can only exist in certain, defined energy states and so the photons absorbed or emitted as they move between any two states will always have the same energy.
Photon energy = Planck's constant (6.63x10^-34 Js) x frequency of light E=hf

And because the frequency of light determines the wavelength (λ=c/f where 'c' is the speed of light), and wavelength determines "colour", these photons will all have the same colour, for any given energy transition.

Which is why, when salt (sodium chloride) is burnt when illuminated by a sodium lamp, the sodium atoms will emit yellow light in the flame, but also absorb the yellow light produced by the sodium atoms in the lamp.

The result is that the flame produces a shadow on a screen.




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