Dual nature of matter is an important concept in JEE Physics and is basically the study of the different natures that a substance possesses or exhibits. A substance can either exhibit or have a particle nature or a wave nature. Various experiments have been carried out to prove this theory.

Initially the properties of matter or light were described in terms of their particle nature. Corpuscular theory of light etc., were some of the early stages that influenced it. Later, it was found experimentally that matter has the properties of a wave. Therefore, matter is said to have dual nature, i.e. it has properties of both particle and wave.

Maxwell’s equation:

Electromagnetism and Hertz’s 1887 experiments on the creation and detection of electromagnetic waves firmly established the wave nature of light.

Thus, wave-particle duality is an important concept in quantum mechanics that states that every particle or, more specifically, quantum entity can be represented as either a particle or a wave. This concept further helps to replace the inability of classical mechanics approaches or theories to fully describe the behavior of matter.

The Important Topics Covering Dual Nature of Matter:

Here are some important topics to learn while tackling this concept.

Photoelectric Effect:

A phenomenon involving the escape of electrons from the surface of a material. Generally, the surface of a material contains both positive and negative ions. What happens in this process is that when light is incident on a metal surface, some electrons, which are near the surface, absorb enough energy from the incident radiation, and thus overcome the attraction of the positive ions. . Further, when the electrons have gained enough energy as needed, they will escape from the surface of the metal and into the surrounding space. This forms the basis of the photoelectric effect.

Some related terms include:

Work Capability:

The base energy expected to eliminate an electron from the outer layer of a metal.

Limit Recurrence:

The base recurrence of light that can make an electron be shot out from a metal surface.

Limit Frequency:

The most extreme frequency of light that can separate photo electrons from a metal surface.

Electronic Emission:

The minimum energy required to eject an electron from a metal surface can be supplied to a free electron by any of the following methods:

Thermionic outflow:

Free electrons are given the desired nuclear energy by heating them properly to empower them to escape from the metal.
Field Amination:

Electrons are placed under the strength of an electric field to produce electrons out of the metal.

Photoelectric discharge:

At the point when light of sufficient frequency is applied to illuminate the surface of a metal, it emits electrons. The electrons created from these images are called photoelectrons.

Planck’s Quantum Theory:

When we apply heat to a black body, it results in the emission of thermal radiation of different wavelengths or frequencies. Thus, Max Planck proposed a theory called Planck’s quantum theory to explain these rays. Following are the main highlights of the theory.