How are reflection and refraction explained by the wave and particle model of light?

Both the particle and wave theories adequately explain reflection from a smooth surface. However, the particle theory also suggests that if the surface is very rough, the particles bounce away at a variety of angles, scattering the light. This theory fits very closely to experimental observation.

How the propagation of light are explained by the wave model and the particle model of light?

The particle model of light predicted that the speed of light would be faster in water than in air, and the wave model predicted the opposite. Therefore, the determination of the speed of light was seen to be a critical experiment in order to decide between the wave and particle models of light.

How does the wave theory of light describe the propagation?

According to wave theory, light from a source is propagated in the form of longitudinal waves with uniform velocity in a homogeneous medium. (Later it was proved that the light waves are transverse waves). These waves emitted by the source move in a straight in a homogeneous medium.

How are reflection and refraction explained by the wave?

Reflection involves a change in direction of waves when they bounce off a barrier. Refraction of waves involves a change in the direction of waves as they pass from one medium to another. Refraction, or the bending of the path of the waves, is accompanied by a change in speed and wavelength of the waves.

What is the difference between wave theory and particle theory?

1. Particle theory: Light consists of a stream of small particles, because it travels in straight lines at great speeds is reflected from mirrors in a predictable way. Wave theory: Light is a wave, because it undergoes diffraction and interference (Young’s double–slit experiment).

How does the particle model explain refraction?

Upon entering the glass, the particles are refracted according to Snell’s law and pass through the medium in a linear pathway. When the second glass/air boundary is encountered by the particles (at the bottom of the block), they are again refracted and travel back into space at an angle.

What theory explains light as a particle?

The light particle conceived by Einstein is called a photon. The main point of his light quantum theory is the idea that light’s energy is related to its oscillation frequency (known as frequency in the case of radio waves). Oscillation frequency is equal to the speed of light divided by its wavelength.

What is difference between wave and particle?

The difference between the particle and waves are: The particle is defined as the small quantity of matter under the consideration. The wave is defined as the propagating dynamic distrubance. The energy of the wave is calculated based on the wavelength and velocity.

How does the refraction support the particle theory of light?

How does refraction support the particle theory of light? Light slows down and bends when it moves from a less dense to a more dense medium. Forces act on the particles to push or pull them from one medium to another. As light passes through an opening, it spreads out in all directions.

Why is light both a particle and a wave?

Quantum mechanics tells us that light can behave simultaneously as a particle or a wave. When UV light hits a metal surface, it causes an emission of electrons. Albert Einstein explained this “photoelectric” effect by proposing that light – thought to only be a wave – is also a stream of particles.

How does light reflection and refraction propagation?

Reflection occurs when a wave hits boundary between two media where the wave speeds differ, but the wave stays in the original medium instead of passing into the second medium. Refraction is the change of the propagation direction of waves when they pass into a medium where they have a different speed.

What is the particle and wave theory of reflection?

Both the particle and wave theories adequately explain reflection from a smooth surface. However, the particle theory also suggests that if the surface is very rough, the particles bounce away at a variety of angles, scattering the light. This theory fits very closely to experimental observation.

What is wave theory of light?

Wave theory: Light is a wave, because it undergoes diffraction and interference (Young’s double–slit experiment). The scientific study of the behavior of light covers reflection, refraction, polarization, diffraction of light as it passes by the edge of an opaque object and interference patterns resulting from diffraction.

What is the difference between reflection and refraction?

The case for a particle nature for light is far stronger with regards to the reflection phenomenon than it is for refraction. Light emitted by a source, whether near or far, arrives at the mirror surface as a stream of particles, which bounce away or are reflected from the smooth surface.

How does the particle model explain the propagation of light?

The Particle Model of Light Explains Rectilinear Propagation of Light. Newton used the analogy of a ball to explain the rectilinear motion of light. When a ball is thrown, it describes a parabolic path because of the effect of gravity. In order to follow a straight-line path, the ball must be thrown very quickly.