Find the wavelength of a photon that has an energy of 12.4eV

1 answer

To find the wavelength of a photon given its energy, you can use the relationship between energy and wavelength given by the equation:

\[ E = \frac{hc}{\lambda} \]

Where:

  • \( E \) is the energy of the photon (in joules),
  • \( h \) is the Planck constant (\(6.626 \times 10^{-34} , \text{Js}\)),
  • \( c \) is the speed of light (\(3.00 \times 10^8 , \text{m/s}\)),
  • \( \lambda \) is the wavelength (in meters).

First, convert the energy from electronvolts to joules. The conversion factor is:

\[ 1 , \text{eV} = 1.602 \times 10^{-19} , \text{J} \]

Thus,

\[ E = 12.4 , \text{eV} \times 1.602 \times 10^{-19} , \text{J/eV} = 1.987 \times 10^{-18} , \text{J} \]

Next, rearrange the equation to solve for the wavelength \( \lambda \):

\[ \lambda = \frac{hc}{E} \]

Substituting in the values:

\[ \lambda = \frac{(6.626 \times 10^{-34} , \text{Js})(3.00 \times 10^8 , \text{m/s})}{1.987 \times 10^{-18} , \text{J}} \]

Calculating this gives:

\[ \lambda = \frac{1.9878 \times 10^{-25} , \text{J m}}{1.987 \times 10^{-18} , \text{J}} \approx 1.001 \times 10^{-7} , \text{m} \]

Converting this into nanometers (1 nm = \( 10^{-9} , \text{m} \)):

\[ \lambda \approx 100.1 , \text{nm} \]

Thus, the wavelength of the photon with an energy of 12.4 eV is approximately 100 nm.