Energy in Waves Quick Check
3 of 53 of 5 Items
Question
Use the information about four different waves to answer the question.
Wave # Frequency Wavelength
Wave 1 6.66 × 1014 Hz 450 nm
Wave 2 5.77 × 1014 Hz 520 nm
Wave 3 4.61 × 1014 Hz 650 nm
Wave 4 4.28 × 1014 Hz 700 nm
Which wave contains the lowest energy?
(1 point)
Responses
wave 2
wave 2
wave 4
wave 4
wave 1
wave 1
wave 3
wave 3
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Wave 4 contains the lowest energy.
To determine which wave contains the lowest energy, we need to understand the relationship between energy, frequency, and wavelength in waves. The energy of a wave is directly proportional to its frequency and inversely proportional to its wavelength.
From the given information, we can see that Wave 2 has the lowest frequency (5.77 × 10^14 Hz) and the longest wavelength (520 nm). Therefore, Wave 2 contains the lowest energy.
Thus, the correct answer is wave 2.
To determine which wave has the lowest energy, we need to understand the relationship between frequency and energy in waves. According to the equation E = hf, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant (6.63 × 10^-34 J·s), and f is frequency, we can see that energy is directly proportional to frequency. Therefore, the lower the frequency, the lower the energy.
Looking at the given information, we can see that the frequency of wave 2 is 5.77 × 10^14 Hz, wave 4 is 4.28 × 10^14 Hz, wave 1 is 6.66 × 10^14 Hz, and wave 3 is 4.61 × 10^14 Hz.
Comparing these frequencies, we can conclude that wave 4 (4.28 × 10^14 Hz) has the lowest frequency and therefore the lowest energy.