Does Electromagnetic Radiation Contain Photons?

[soumyajitnag]

does every electromagnetic radiation consist of photon?

 

[davenn]

yes

Dave

 

[technician]

usually

 

[sophiecentaur]

usually

Meaning?

 

[telltree]

Yes

There are often many mathematical descriptions of a single phenomena in physics, depending on the scale, complexity, context, etc. A photon is a mathematical description that teases out some of the finer scale effects noticeable at the scales dealt with in quantum mechanics. It's a more careful description of electromagnetic radiation than what you might find in geometric optics for instance. So yes, all EM radiation consists of photons.