Planck constant

Did you know light and energy are linked by a tiny constant?

Image: Orren Jack Turner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Planck constant

Did you know light and energy are linked by a tiny constant?

Imagine you're trying to figure out how much energy a tiny particle of light carries. Without knowing a specific constant, it's like trying to cook with an unknown ingredient.

Think of Planck's constant as a secret recipe ingredient that tells us how much energy light particles have based on their color (frequency). This secret ingredient helps us understand the energy of light at a tiny scale.

Example

A photon with a frequency of 500 THz (terahertz) has an energy of 4.14 x 10⁻¹9 Joules (J), using Planck's constant (h = 6.62607015 x 10^-34 J⋅Hz⁻¹).

Remember this

Planck's constant (h) is the secret ingredient that links light's color (frequency) to its energy, helping us unlock the mysteries of light at the smallest scales.

Related concepts

Swipe through more Physics concepts

Open Pocket Polymath