Frequency of Light Calculator
Calculate frequency, wavelength, and energy of electromagnetic radiation across the entire spectrum
Calculate Frequency and Wavelength of Light
Wavelength in meters: 500.000 nm
Electromagnetic Radiation Properties
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Visible Light Color
Photon Energy
Formula used: c = λ × f (where c = 29,97,92,458 m/s)
Photon energy: E = h × f (where h = 6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J⋅s)
Relationship: Higher frequency = shorter wavelength = higher energy
Example Calculation
Green Light Example
Given: λ = 500 nm (green light)
Convert to meters: λ = 500 × 10⁻⁹ m = 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ m
Speed of light: c = 2.998 × 10⁸ m/s
Calculation
f = c / λ
f = (2.998 × 10⁸ m/s) / (5.0 × 10⁻⁷ m)
f = 5.996 × 10¹⁴ Hz = 599.6 THz
Energy: E = hf = 2.48 eV
EM Spectrum Regions
Visible light: 380-780 nm
Human eye sensitivity: Peak at ~555 nm (green)
Wave Properties
Wavelength (λ): Distance between two peaks
Frequency (f): Oscillations per second
Energy (E): Proportional to frequency
Speed (c): Constant in vacuum (299,792,458 m/s)
Physics Notes
Relationship: c = λ × f (always constant)
Higher frequency = higher energy photons
Visible light is tiny fraction of EM spectrum
Applications: spectroscopy, communications, medicine
Understanding Light and Electromagnetic Radiation
What is Light?
Light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. However, the term "light" is often used more broadly to refer to electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, whether visible or not. This includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
Wave-Particle Duality
- •Light exhibits both wave and particle properties
- •As waves: characterized by wavelength and frequency
- •As particles: photons carrying quantized energy
- •Energy is proportional to frequency (E = hf)
Fundamental Relationships
c = λ × f
E = h × f
E = hc / λ
- c: Speed of light (299,792,458 m/s)
- λ: Wavelength (meters)
- f: Frequency (hertz)
- E: Photon energy (joules)
- h: Planck constant (6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J⋅s)
Key insight: All electromagnetic radiation travels at the same speed in vacuum, but higher frequencies correspond to shorter wavelengths and higher energies.
Applications Across the Spectrum
Radio & Microwaves
Communications, radar, GPS, microwave ovens, astronomy. Long wavelengths (meters to kilometers) with low energy.
Visible & Near-IR
Human vision, photography, fiber optics, laser pointers, optical spectroscopy. Moderate energy, detectable by eyes and cameras.
UV & X-rays
Medical imaging, sterilization, astronomy, material analysis. High energy, can be harmful to living tissue.