Wave-Particle Duality: Where Light Breaks Limits
a. Historical perspective revealed light’s dual identity through groundbreaking experiments. The double-slit experiment demonstrated wave-like interference patterns—light bending and overlapping—while the photoelectric effect exposed photon emission: discrete packets of energy ejecting electrons from metal. These results shattered the classical view of light as purely a wave or particle, setting the stage for quantum theory.
b. Light’s dual behavior forms a cornerstone of modern physics—light acts as both an electromagnetic wave, governed by Maxwell’s equations, and a stream of particles (photons), each carrying quantized energy. This duality isn’t a contradiction but a deeper reality: nature operates beyond single descriptions.
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