Multiple Choice
Which best explains what happens when an electron moves from an excited state to the ground state?
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9. Quantum Mechanics
The Energy of Light
Multiple Choice
Which of the following colors of visible light corresponds to the highest energy?
A
Red
B
Violet
C
Yellow
D
Green
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that the energy of light is related to its frequency and wavelength by the equation \(E = h \nu = \frac{h c}{\lambda}\), where \(E\) is energy, \(h\) is Planck's constant, \(\nu\) is frequency, \(c\) is the speed of light, and \(\lambda\) is wavelength.
Understand that visible light colors correspond to different wavelengths, with red having the longest wavelength and violet having the shortest wavelength within the visible spectrum.
Since energy is inversely proportional to wavelength (\(E \propto \frac{1}{\lambda}\)), shorter wavelengths correspond to higher energy photons.
Compare the wavelengths of the given colors: red has the longest wavelength, followed by yellow, green, and violet having the shortest wavelength.
Conclude that violet light has the highest energy among the options because it has the shortest wavelength and thus the highest frequency.
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