A laser produced a light of wavelenth 575 nm. How many photons of this light would have to strike a material for the material to absorb 55.1 kJ?

User Icon for Explain Bot Explain Bot answered
1 year ago

To solve this problem, we need to use the relationship between energy, photons, and wavelength. We can start by finding the energy associated with a single photon using the formula:

E = hc/Ī»

Where:
E is the energy of a photon
h is Planck's constant (6.626 x 10^-34 JĀ·s)
c is the speed of light (3.00 x 10^8 m/s)
Ī» is the wavelength of light

Given that the wavelength of light is 575 nm (or 575 x 10^-9 m), we can substitute the values into the formula:

E = (6.626 x 10^-34 JĀ·s)(3.00 x 10^8 m/s)/(575 x 10^-9 m)

Calculating this gives us the value of E as approximately 3.451 x 10^-19 J (joules).

Now, we can calculate the number of photons required to provide 55.1 kJ (kilojoules) of energy. We need to convert the kJ value to joules by multiplying it by 1000:

55.1 kJ = 55.1 x 1000 J = 55,100 J

To find the number of photons, we divide the total energy required by the energy of a single photon:

Number of photons = Total energy / Energy per photon
= 55,100 J / 3.451 x 10^-19 J

Evaluating this expression gives us the number of photons needed to deliver 55.1 kJ of energy.