Introduction

Observing the interaction of atoms with various forms of radiant, or transmitted, energy, such as the energy associated with visible light that we detect with our eyes, infrared radiation that we feel as heat, ultraviolet light that causes sunburn, and x-rays that produce images of our teeth or bones, scientists discovered much of what we know about the structure of the atom. You should be familiar with all of these types of radiant energy. We begin our explanation of how our current atomic model came to be by outlining the properties of waves and the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation.

Light as a Wave

Light is a transverse electromagnetic wave that the average person can see. Experiments on diffraction and interference were the first to demonstrate the wave character of light. Light, like other electromagnetic waves, can traverse a vacuum. Polarisation can be used to highlight the transverse character of light.

Light, according to Christian Huygens, travels in waves. Huygens was a contemporary of Isaac Newton. However, Isaac Newton believed that light was made up of particles too tiny to be detected individually. Thomas Young, an English physicist, experimented in 1801 that demonstrated that light acts like a wave. He used two thin, parallel slits to pass a light beam through.

On a white screen, alternating light and dark bands emerged at a distance from the slit. As Newton proposed, if light were formed up of particles, just two bright bands of light would be projected on the white surface, Young reasoned. The bright and dark bands showed how the slits caused light waves to interfere with one another. Occasionally, this interference is beneficial, as the light waves combine to form a brilliant patch. Interference can be harmful, causing light waves to cancel each other out, resulting in dark spots on the screen.

A wave’s wavelength is the distance between its successive peaks or troughs. A wave’s frequency is its rate of oscillation, which is measured in 1/s. Each wave’s wavelength and frequency are related by the equation = c/f, where c is the speed of light, and f is the wave’s frequency and wavelength.

The wavelength of electromagnetic radiation determines the colour. The wavelengths of all visible light are between 400 and 700 nm. Humans cannot see electromagnetic radiation with shorter or longer wavelengths, yet it exists and may be detected. The table below shows wavelengths and the types of radiation they correspond to:

1. a few cm to a few km = Radio waves
2. 1mm to 10 cm= Microwaves
3. 700 nm to 1 mm= Infrared radiation
4. 400 nm to 700 nm= Visible light
5. 10 nm to 400 nm= Ultraviolet radiation
6. .01 nm to 10 nm= X-Rays
7. smaller than .01 nm= Gamma rays

Reflection of Light Waves

The reflection or bouncing off of obstruction is known to happen to all waves. Light waves can also be reflected well-known to most people. The development of an image is caused by the reflection of light waves off of a mirrored surface. A property of wave reflection is that the angle at which a wave reaches a flat reflecting surface is equal to the angle at which the wave exits the surface. Both water waves and sound waves share this feature. Light waves can also be visible. Like any other wave, the light follows the rule of reflection when it bounces off objects.

Refraction of Light Waves

Waves are said to refract as they pass through one medium and into another. When a wavefront crosses the boundary between two media, the direction of travel abruptly changes; the path is “bent”. Both conceptual and mathematical approaches can be used to explain wave refraction behaviour. First, the “bending” direction is determined by the relative speeds of the two media.

The wave speeds in the two media and the angles at which the wave approaches and departs from the boundary are used in these equations. Like any other wave, light refracts when it travels from one medium to another. In reality, a study of light refraction reveals that its refractive behaviour is governed by the same conceptual and mathematical rules that regulate the refractive behaviour of other waves like water and sound.

Light Wave Theory

In most circumstances, light is classified as an electromagnetic wave because it acts like a wave and is made up of both electric and magnetic forces. Electromagnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the propagation of waves and are also perpendicular to one another. As a result, they are referred to as transverse waves. The following are some important aspects of light:

• Light has a fixed speed, which means it will never change on its own.
• In one second, a single beam of light may travel around the Earth 7.5 times.
• Light waves, like practically all other electromagnetic waves, move at a speed of 3.0 x 108 m/s.
• The distance travelled by light waves in a year is measured in light-years.
• We must consider a sine waveform while dealing with light waves.
• Brightness, or the intensity of light, is expressed by amplitude and is dependent on the distance and amount of light produced by the source.
• Lumens are units of measurement for the amount of light emitted by a source.
• Light waves have a shorter wavelength than infrared waves.

Electromagnetic Radiation

The cyclic oscillation of materials in water waves transmits energy through space (the water). Electromagnetic radiation, on the other hand, is energy that is transferred or radiated through space in the form of periodic oscillations of electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic radiation in some forms. All kinds of particle nature of electromagnetic radiation, including microwaves, visible light, and gamma rays, travel at the speed of light (c) in a vacuum, which turns out to be a fundamental physical constant.

Conclusion

Studying the electrical structure of atoms necessitates knowledge of the wave and particle nature of electromagnetic radiation properties. A wave is an energy-transmitting periodic oscillation that travels over space. All waves are periodic, meaning they repeat themselves in space and time. The wavelength, distance between corresponding points of two consecutive waves; frequency (u), the number of waves passing a fixed point per unit time; speed (v), the rate at which the wave propagates through space; and amplitude, the magnitude of the oscillation about the mean position, are all interrelated properties of waves. The product of a wave’s wavelength and frequency determines its speed.