YOUNG EXPERIMENT
(DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT)
For a long time, scientists had been wondering about the real nature of light, for a long time the light had some different interpretations throughout history, but no one had ever managed to reach consensus. Some scientists believed that light was composed of small particles others believed that light was a wave, and in fact, for some many phenomena in optics treating light either as a particle or as waves helped to explain some phenomena. The video below will explain some of the interpretations about the nature of light over the years.
As we saw in the video, light does not behave in only one way, but in both forms, particles or waves. But how can the same physical phenomenon have two different natures? Around 1801, a beautiful experiment by Thomas Young (1773-1829) resolved the issue favorably for Huygens. The experiment consisted of firing a beam of light first through a plate that had only one crack and what would be observed on a screen after that crack was already predictable the result since most physicists at that time still believed that light was a particle beam, so a beam would only form. But when another crack was added to this experiment, the result was frightening! To better understand, see the following 3 videos below.
In short ... It was believed years ago that light and sub-atomic particles like the electron were corpuscles! How can particles behave like waves? See even by the definition of both, what is a particle? In the field of physics, the term particle is used to designate very small elements (the word itself derives from the Latin particula which means very small part, very tiny body or corpuscle).
Generally, when talking about particles, we are talking about sub-atomic particles, that is, particles smaller than an atom. Particles of matter and particles of radiation can be distinguished. The study of particles (namely elementary particles of matter and radiation, as well as their interactions) is called particle physics. [*] For physics, the wave is a disturbance that propagates in space or in any other middle. They are classified in relation to the nature, direction and propagation energy, They transport energy and not matter. [**]
In other words, Particle and Waves are completely different things, how can one acquire properties from each other? In order for physicists to understand these phenomena they had to reformulate all classical mechanics in a new mechanics that could describe these strange phenomena of the smallest scales, which then created wave mechanics or quantum mechanics.
In other words, Particle and Waves are completely different things, how can one acquire properties from each other? In order for physicists to understand these phenomena they had to reformulate all classical mechanics in a new mechanics that could describe these strange phenomena of the smallest scales, which then created wave mechanics or quantum mechanics.
YOUNG EXPERIMENT
(DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT)
YOUNG EXPERIMENT
(DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT)
It is important to remember that one of the explanations for explaining this phenomenon of interference is the relationship with the dimensions of the objects we are dealing with! As well!? Look! Electrons are an element of matter so small but so small that any external interference alters its properties (behaving as a corpuscle or as a wave), there is a lot of "mysticism" instilled in the observer's question, but the point is that science operates on the basis of observation, and to be able to observe something we necessarily need Light!
For example, if you are looking at your computer or cell phone in front of you, it is because the light that came out of the lamp traveled all over the place you are in, hit your cell phone and then reflected in your eyes (specifically on your retina, which is sensitive the light). Only then did you know how to identify where your cell phone would be. The same thing applies to any conventional experiment.
For the scientist to know what is happening in the experiment he needs to see and consequently needs any light source to know if something is here or there, but now the object we are dealing with is quantum, that is, smaller or equal in size of the atom itself. As we have seen in previous chapters on the photoelectric effect, Albert Einstein rescued the characteristic of the corpuscle to light, because it itself has an energy associated with its manifestation (displacement / propagation more specifically linear moment ).
In other words, light is also an object in which its dimension when it comes to its corpuscular behavior, has atomic dimensions, quantum characteristics, the well-known Photon! If light is to shine on an electron, its properties will change due to this interaction between light and electron.
Another way of understanding this would be, for example, to throw a basketball against the base of a tall, large building. What would the basketball interfere with the building? NOTHING! Just like the light towards the cell phone or the computer in front of you, it affects them but does not interfere with them, because the relative dimensions of the "Photon" with the general size of your Cell / Computer is insignificant!
But now if we play a basketball against each other, then we will have a change in the other basketball, it will start moving ... it will acquire kinetic energy etc. For the dimensions of the problem we are dealing with now are relatively the same. The same thing applies to this problem Photon (light) and electron.