Objective
Attach a wavelength to any moving particle - lambda = h/p - and see why footballs look solid while electrons really do behave like waves.
The idea
Everything moving has a wave, and its wavelength is Planck's constant divided by momentum. For big objects the wave is invisibly tiny; for electrons it can be the size of an atom.
Try this
- 1Zoom a basketball - can you see its wavelength?
- 2Switch to an electron and watch the wavelength balloon.
- 3Slow the electron down and see the wavelength stretch.
- 4Compare the wavelength with atomic sizes.
Watch for
- lambda = h / p: more momentum, shorter wave.
- Planck's constant is so tiny that everyday objects look waveless.
- Electrons have wavelengths on the scale of atoms - hence wave mechanics.
- This is why electron microscopes resolve far more than light ones.