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Unit 4: Wave Models and Quantum Physics

Quick questions on Wave-particle duality and de Broglie: WACE Year 12 Physics Unit 4

3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What are de Broglie's matter waves?
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Louis de Broglie reasoned that if waves can act as particles, particles might act as waves. He assigned every moving particle a wavelength
What is electron diffraction as evidence?
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When a beam of electrons is fired at a thin crystal or graphite film, it produces concentric diffraction rings on a screen, exactly the pattern expected when waves pass through a regular array of slits. Particles alone could not interfere to form rings, so this confirms that matter has a wave nature, validating de Broglie's idea.
What is using the relation correctly?
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Use λ=h/mv\lambda=h/mv with momentum in kg m s-1, and remember that a larger momentum gives a shorter wavelength. If a voltage is given instead of a speed, first find the speed from qV=12mv2qV=\tfrac{1}{2}mv^2, then the momentum.

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