What is the difference between photons and quanta

Post by LNgo 1G » Wed Oct 16, pm Quanta is the general term for particles or pieces that make up a whole, like how quantum mechanics refers to the mechanisms behind very small objects. Photons are a quantum measurement of light. Post by Justin Quan 4I » Wed Oct 16, pm LNgo 14A wrote: Quanta is the general term for particles or pieces that make up a whole, like how quantum mechanics refers to the mechanisms behind very small objects.

Post by Jenna Ortiguerra 4G » Sun Oct 20, am A quanta is the smallest possible measurement of something, typically energy; while a photon is a quantum measurement of light. The energy of a photon can be expressed in eV electronvolt and J joule. The plural of quantum is quanta. Max Plank discovered the concept of quantization. He used this concept to explain the emission of radiation from heated objects; we call this black body radiation. Photon is the smallest discrete amount or quantum of electromagnetic radiation while quantum is a discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents.

Therefore, the key difference between photon and quantum is that photon is an elementary particle, whereas quantum is a measure of quantity. Moreover, another significant difference between photon and quantum is that the photon is important as a quantum of electromagnetic radiation while quantum is important to measure quantity at the subatomic scale.

We can describe quantum as a measure of quantity, but a photon is not about a measure of quantity. In fact, we can describe photon as a quantum of energy. Hence, the key difference between photon and quantum is that photon is an elementary particle, whereas quantum is a measure of quantity.

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Your email address will not be published. Asked 5 years, 7 months ago. Active 5 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 1k times. Note: A complex waveform can be deconstructed into simple harmonic components simple sine waves , within the complex waveform A wave packet - is a collection of photons 'grouped' together. Does this sounds right? Thanks in advance. Improve this question. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. CuriousOne CuriousOne Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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