Atmosphere Contents

2. Solar Energy

The photon theory of radiation can be formulated mathematically

The photon theory of radiation states that radiation of a particular wavelength is composed of small packages of energy, all of the same size. This can be specified by an equation:

e = hc / lambda

Here h is Planck's Constant (a universal constant) which has a value of 6.625x 10E(-34) Joule seconds, and c is the velocity of light (2.998 x 10E8 metres per second), and lambda is wavelength.

For a middle wavelength for the visible range of light, where lambda = 550 nm (=5.50 x 10E(-7) metres), the corresponding amount of energy in the photon of this light is given by

e = (6.625 x 10E(-34) x 2.998 x 10E8)
/ 5.50 x 10E(-7) = 3.61 x 10E(-19) Joules.

What is the mathematical formulation of photon theory of radiation?