Fourth year of secondary education
Optics
C.Palacios
J.L. San Emeterio
Optics
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5.1 Light as a particle

What is the nature of light?

Throughout history philosophers and scientists have developed many hypotheses about light.  It was not until 1924 that a satisfactory answer could be given to the question.
Is it in the form of waves or particles?


Light behaves as if it were formed by waves emitted by a source
.
All the properties studied in the topic WAVES can be applied to light.

Then is light formed by waves or particles?

In 1924 Louis de Broglie put an end to the controversy when he made the following hypothesis:
All moving particles are associated with an electromagnetic wave.

That is to say that light has a "double" nature: it is formed by waves and particles at the same time.
The following visual constitutes the proof that light is formed by particles.
 

Light as a wave
What type of wave is light?
Colour and luminous intensity
Reflection
What is reflection?
Concave mirrors
Convex mirrors
Refraction
What is refraction?
Refraction depending on colour
Converging lenses
Diverging lenses
An optical instrument: the telescope
How does it work?
What type should I buy?
Light as a particle
The photoelectric cell
What can we deduce from the way it works?
Evaluation