Smallest unit of radiant energy that makes up light waves and radio waves?

Smallest unit of radiant energy that makes up light waves and radio waves?

• A. Photon
• B. Electron
• C. Quanta
• D. Watt

Answer: (A)

The smallest unit of radiant energy in light and radio waves is a photon, the quantum of electromagnetic radiation. Photons carry energy that is proportional to the frequency of the wave (E = h f, with h being Planck’s constant). This means higher-frequency light, like blue or ultraviolet, has photons with more energy, while lower-frequency light, like red light or radio waves, has photons with less energy. Electromagnetic radiation behaves both as waves and as particles, and energy comes in these indivisible packets—photons—for light. The term quanta is a generic way of describing energy packets in physics, but for light, the specific packet is a photon. An electron is unrelated as a carrier of light energy, and a watt is a unit of power, not energy.

The smallest unit of radiant energy in light and radio waves is a photon, the quantum of electromagnetic radiation. Photons carry energy that is proportional to the frequency of the wave (E = h f, with h being Planck’s constant). This means higher-frequency light, like blue or ultraviolet, has photons with more energy, while lower-frequency light, like red light or radio waves, has photons with less energy. Electromagnetic radiation behaves both as waves and as particles, and energy comes in these indivisible packets—photons—for light. The term quanta is a generic way of describing energy packets in physics, but for light, the specific packet is a photon. An electron is unrelated as a carrier of light energy, and a watt is a unit of power, not energy.