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1.94: Wave-Particle Duality for Matter and Light

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    158513

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    A wave is spatially delocalized

    clipboard_e35e5987d015828e5f3bec5d3bdf9b753.png

    A particle is spatially localized

    clipboard_ecf1df203ec6a343d0f119c71f2d425a8.png

    These incompatible concepts are united by the deBroglie wave equation with the wave property (wavelength) on the left and the particle property (momentum) on the right in a reciprocal relationship mediated by the ubiquitous Planck’s constant.

    \[
    \lambda=\frac{h}{m v}
    \nonumber \]

    This page titled 1.94: Wave-Particle Duality for Matter and Light is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Frank Rioux via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.