Question

In one to two sentences,
explain why electromagnetic
radiation can be modeled as
both a wave and a particle.

Answer 1

Electromagnetic radiation exhibits wave-like properties, such as interference and diffraction, which can be explained by the wave model, while phenomena like the photoelectric effect demonstrate its particle-like behavior, where it is quantized into discrete packets of energy called photons. This duality is a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics, illustrating that light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation have characteristics of both waves and particles, depending on the context in which they are observed.