Can a photon have no momentum?

However, momentum is the product of mass and velocity, so, by this definition, massless photons cannot have momentum.

Why does a photon have momentum?

Because photons have no mass, all of the momentum of a photon actually comes from its energy and frequency as described by the Planck-Einstein relation E=hf.

Does photon carry momentum justify your answer?

“A phonon of wavector K will interact with particles such as photons, neutrons, and electrons as if it had a momentum ℏK. However, a phonon does not carry physical momentum.

Why photon has momentum but no mass?

Since photons (particles of light) have no mass, they must obey E = pc and therefore get all of their energy from their momentum. If a particle has no mass (m = 0) and is at rest (p = 0), then the total energy is zero (E = 0).

How do we know light has momentum?

When light bounces off an object it does impart momentum to it. In the simplest case, light bouncing off a very massive stationary object, the light imparts no energy to the object. The momentum imparted is twice that of the incoming light, since it just changes directions and thus changes the sign of its momentum.

How much energy must a photon have if it is to have the momentum of a 10 Mev proton?

The total energy of the 10MeV proton would be 948.28MeV because the proton rest energy is 938.28MeV.

Does light have momentum?

Since light has no mass, you may be tempted to say that light has no momentum. However, light does indeed carry momentum in the form of energy. In fact, for photons (the smallest bits of light), the energy E and momentum p are related by the simple equation E = pc, where c is the speed of light.

Why do photons move?

A photon is a pulse of an electric field which when it collapses produces a magnetic field which when it collapses produces an electric field and so on and on until either the electric field and/or the magnetic field is absorbed by something. In other words the photon propagates itself thus moving away from the source.

Do photons have color?

Unlike an electromagnetic wave, a photon cannot actually be of a color. Instead, a photon will correspond to light of a given color. As color is defined by the capabilities of the human eye, a single photon cannot have color because it cannot be detected by the human eye.

What makes a photon move?

A photon of light does not accelerate to light speed. Rather, a photon is already traveling at light speed c when it is created. It’s not like a photon jumps from a speed of zero to light speed instantaneously. Rather, a photon is always traveling at c, from the moment of its creation.

How can a photon have momentum if it has no mass?

A single photon always has momentum p = E/c, and when we put this into the long form of the equation (which we need when we have momentum), and do some algebra, then we get m = 0. So if we use the usual definition of mass, a photon has no mass (usual definition of mass), yet still has energy (and momentum).

What is the equation for the momentum of a photon?

The equation is: p = h / λ. Where: P: photon momentum. h:Plank’s constant. λ: photon’s wavelength. Photon Momentum Formula Questions: 1) Calculate the momentum of a photon which has a wavelength of 400 nm.

Do all the photons have the same energy?

Light of a single wavelength behaved as if it consisted of separate particles, photons, all with the same energy, with each ejected electron being the result of a collision between one photon and one electron in the metal.

How can photons have energy but no mass?

Photons don’t have mass because photons are a form of electromagnetic energy. Mass, when pushed to the speed of light, becomes energy. Energy is the exact same stuff as mass but it is moving at the speed of light so all of its mass has converted to energy.