Question

1. sep construct explanations explain how light acts like both waves and particles.

Explanation:

To explain light's dual nature:

• Wave - like behavior: Phenomena like interference (e.g., double - slit experiment, where light waves from two slits overlap to form bright and dark fringes), diffraction (bending of light around obstacles, like light spreading after passing through a narrow slit), and polarization (only waves with a specific orientation can pass through a polarizer) support light as a wave. Electromagnetic theory also describes light as oscillating electric and magnetic fields propagating in space.
• Particle - like behavior: The photoelectric effect (electrons are emitted from a metal surface when light of sufficient frequency strikes it, and this can be explained by light consisting of discrete packets of energy called photons) and Compton scattering (when X - rays scatter off electrons, they behave like particles with momentum) show light as particles (photons). Photons have energy $E = h

u$ (where $h$ is Planck's constant and $
u$ is the frequency of light) and momentum $p=\frac{h}{\lambda}$ (where $\lambda$ is the wavelength of light).

Answer:

Light exhibits wave - particle duality. As a wave, it shows interference (e.g., double - slit experiment), diffraction, and polarization, and is described by electromagnetic theory. As a particle (photon), it explains the photoelectric effect (emission of electrons from metal on light incidence) and Compton scattering, with photons having energy $E = h
u$ and momentum $p=\frac{h}{\lambda}$.