this is the information i was given, it is confusing since the teacher didnt explain it at all...
- speed of light = 3x10^8 m/s
- 1nm= 10^-9 m
the problem i have to solve is...
A laser has a wavelength of 2.5 nm. What is the frequency in Hz? (Type your response in scientific notation as #E# Hz such as 5 x 10^-5 Hz would be 5E-5 Hz)
also i dont known what sientific notation is... and he refuses to help me until ice tried the problem at least 4 times. i dont know where to begin.
If you are paying that teacher, stop it. Honestly, I have difficulty believing you. You absotely need to master scientific notation, it does not take a rocket scientist to master it.
1000=1*103=1E3 (more often, a little e is used)
4.5E2=450
https://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-scnot.html
Now your problem (all done in ScientificNotation)
the wave equation; frequency*wavelength=speed of light
frequency=speedlight/wavelength=(3e8 m/s )/(2.5e-9 m)
now you have to remember, the rules for exponents
x^a/x^b)=xa-b so
3e8/2.5e-9=(3/2.5 ) e^17 Hz=1.2e^17 hertz
WL = wavelength,
WL = V * T = V * (1/F) = 3*10^8 * (1/F) = 2.5*10^-9 m,
3*10^8/F = 2.5*10^-9,
F = 1.2*10^17 Hz. = 1.2e17 Hz.
No worries, I'm here to help you understand the problem and guide you through it step by step!
To determine the frequency (f) of a wave, we can use the equation:
f = c/λ
Where:
- f represents the frequency in Hz
- c is the speed of light in m/s
- λ (lambda) is the wavelength of the wave in meters
Given:
- Speed of light (c) = 3 × 10^8 m/s
- Wavelength (λ) = 2.5 nm = 2.5 × 10^-9 m (since 1 nm = 10^-9 m)
Now let's substitute the values into the equation:
f = (3 × 10^8 m/s) / (2.5 × 10^-9 m)
To divide these two values, we can use the rule of exponents, which states that dividing two numbers in scientific notation is the same as subtracting their exponents. In this case, it would be:
f = 3 × 10^8 m/s × 10^9 m / 2.5
Simplifying further:
f = 3 × 10^(8 + 9) m / 2.5
f = 3 × 10^17 m / 2.5
To divide by 2.5, we can calculate:
f = 1.2 × 10^17 m
Since the unit is Hz (per second), our final answer would be:
f = 1.2 × 10^17 Hz
This is the frequency of the laser in scientific notation.
Scientific notation is a way of writing very large or very small numbers in a more compact and manageable form. It consists of two parts: a decimal coefficient and a power of ten. For example, 1.2 × 10^17 is the scientific notation for a very large number, which is 1.2 with 17 zeros after it. The power of ten indicates how many places the decimal point should be moved to the left or right.
I hope this explanation helps you understand the problem better and how to solve it. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!