Core Atomic
Structure: Nature of light
Slide 7 of 24
Classical theory of radiation
The theory could explain diffraction and scattering, which occur
when waves encounter particles
roughly the same size as its wavelength, indicating that light is indeed like other mechanical
waves.
However, it was unable to explain radiation
from, for example, a heated solid body, such as a filament in a bulb or heating coil on a stove,
and also the photoelectric effect (see next slide).
Frequency of radiation emitted from heated
solid bodies was found to increase with temperature, passing through the stages of red, yellow, and
white heat, contrary to
expectation.