Maxwell Speed of Light

James Clerk Maxwell, a British scientist, stated that visible light travels in electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation is the emission and transmission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves. Through the relationship with wavelength and frequency, he was able to derive the following equation:

c = λυ

Where:

  • c= speed of light (c = 3.00 x 108 m/s)
  • λ = wavelength (meters)
  • υ = frequency (s-1)

Example: A photon of light has a frequency of 2.2 x 102 s-1. What is the wavelength (in meters) associated with his particle?

Maxwell1

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