Use the information about four different waves to answer the question.

Wave # Frequency Wavelength
Wave 1 6.66 × 1014 Hz 450 nm
Wave 2 5.77 × 1014 Hz 520 nm
Wave 3 4.61 × 1014 Hz 650 nm
Wave 4 4.28 × 1014 Hz 700 nm
Which wave contains the lowest energy?

(1 point)
Responses

wave 4
wave 4

wave 3
wave 3

wave 2
wave 2

wave 1

1 answer

The energy of a wave can be calculated using the formula:

\[ E = h \cdot f \]

where:

  • \(E\) is the energy,
  • \(h\) is Planck's constant (approximately \(6.626 \times 10^{-34} \text{ J s}\)),
  • \(f\) is the frequency of the wave.

Since energy is directly proportional to frequency, the wave with the lowest frequency will have the lowest energy.

From the given data:

  • Wave 1: \(6.66 \times 10^{14} , \text{Hz}\)
  • Wave 2: \(5.77 \times 10^{14} , \text{Hz}\)
  • Wave 3: \(4.61 \times 10^{14} , \text{Hz}\)
  • Wave 4: \(4.28 \times 10^{14} , \text{Hz}\)

Comparing the frequencies, we find that Wave 4 has the lowest frequency (\(4.28 \times 10^{14} , \text{Hz}\)).

Therefore, the wave with the lowest energy is wave 4.