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3.11 Spectroscopy and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Part of Properties of Substances and Mixtures in AP® Chemistry. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

Light

Light is a form of pure energy and is also called electromagnetic radiation. Light exists as particles called photons, and each photon has a wavelength, a frequency, and an energy. These quantities are related by the equation
E=hcλ=hfE=\frac{hc}{\lambda}=hf
,
where E is photon energy, h is Planck’s constant, c is the speed of light, λ is wavelength, and f is frequency. This means shorter wavelengths correspond to higher frequencies and therefore higher energies.

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