Explaining light properties
There are some properties of light which can only be explained by certain models.
There are two main models of light:
- The wave model
- The particle (photon) model
They can’t each explain everything, but together, they can:
| Property | Wave model | Particle model |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | The light waves themselves are reflected | The photon particles are reflected at the surface |
| Refraction | The light waves slow down and bend towards or away from the normal | The particles are just refracted at the surface |
| diffraction | Waves spread out when they pass through a gap | Cannot explain it |
| Interference | Waves superpose and their amplitudes add together at each point. | Cannot explain it |
| polarisation | The direction of oscillation occurs in a certain | Cannot explain it |
| Photoelectric effect | Cannot explain it | The electrons have a threshold frequency based on their work function. |
This shows that maybe light (and other waves and particles) aren’t just one or the other, but both - this is wave particle duality.