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New YorkPhysics

Modern Physics

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are mass and energy related, and what happens to mass in nuclear reactions?

State the mass-energy equivalence $E = mc^2$ , describe the mass defect and binding energy of a nucleus, and outline nuclear fission and fusion as reactions that convert mass into energy.
A Regents Physics answer on mass-energy equivalence and nuclear physics: Einstein's $E = mc^2$ , the mass defect and binding energy, the universal mass unit, and nuclear fission and fusion as mass-to-energy conversions, using the Reference-Table equation, with worked examples.
11 min answer →

Why do atoms emit and absorb only certain wavelengths of light, and what does this reveal about energy levels?

Describe the Bohr model with quantised electron energy levels, explain how photons are emitted or absorbed when electrons change levels, and apply the energy-level relationship $E_{photon} = E_i - E_f$ for hydrogen.
A Regents Physics answer on the Bohr model and atomic spectra: quantised electron energy levels, the emission and absorption of photons when electrons jump between levels, and the energy-level relationship for hydrogen, using the Reference-Table equation and energy-level diagram, with worked examples.
11 min answer →

How can light behave as both a wave and a stream of particles, and what is a photon?

Describe the dual (wave-particle) nature of light, define the photon and its energy $E_{photon} = hf$ , and outline the photoelectric effect and the matter-wave (de Broglie) relationship $\lambda = h/mv$ as evidence for duality.
A Regents Physics answer on the dual nature of light: how light shows both wave and particle behavior, the photon and its energy, the photoelectric effect, and matter waves, using the Reference-Table equations, with worked examples.
11 min answer →

What are the fundamental particles of matter, and how does the Standard Model classify them?

Describe the Standard Model classification of matter into quarks and leptons, use the quark composition of protons and neutrons, and read particle charges from the Standard Model chart on the Reference Tables.
A Regents Physics answer on the Standard Model: the classification of matter into quarks and leptons, the quark composition of protons and neutrons, the fractional charges of quarks, and how to read the Standard Model chart on the Reference Tables, with worked examples.
11 min answer →