ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Physics => Topic started by: Jake1994 on September 12, 2012, 10:38:19 pm
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I'm needing to do a project to "prove/support" (note the quotation marks :P) Einstein's photon theory.
What are some advanced photon supporting experiments that I can use, apart from the standard photoelectric effect? Doesn't matter how unknown they are, I'm looking to impress :p I cant find any yet though... :o
Please help :)
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Well firstly, think about how does the photoelectric effect actually prove the photon model? It can be explained using particles, the photon model is an explanation that accounts for not only the things that waves can describe but also the things that can only be explained by particles.
The link between the photoelectric effect is that Einstein provided the photon model explanation for that particular experiment. As far as I know, that's really just because of the way history panned out (his theory couldn't really go against the experimental evidence that exists for waves explaining diffraction). I reckon it'd be fair to say that perhaps it could have been discovered the other way around, we have a whole set of experiments that show that particles can explain all this behaviour, and then there's a few sets of behaviour that we can only explain with waves.
Either way, the point is if you're looking to show why we need the photon model, you can probably just settle with experiments that can only be explained with particles and experiments that can only be explained with waves and perhaps why the photon model is a decent compromise.
On a side note, don't go for stuff just for the sake of trying to impress, you'll end up knocking into some fairly complex ideas and then just look like a buffoon trying to explain it :P. I would imagine your physics teacher would be more impressed if find something you can explain yourself properly.
I'd recommend looking in your textbook for the random experiments that come up, but aren't explored in depth. That way you could find exactly how it's relatable to what you learn in AOS2. You could take a look at some of the properties of photons - they have momentum, they are quantised etc. and find the experimental evidence for those properties.
The quantised energy packets stuff might be a good one to look into, you do cover that in AOS 2. The stuff with the spectrums etc..
Also light is not the only type of photons, all forms electromagnetic radiation are photons. Compton scattering is also another one that comes to mind. I believe the textbook discusses that somewhere.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_scattering