How Is Vibrational Energy Related to Comparing Energy Quanta in Oscillators?

[asdf1]

I know how to solve this type of question, but I don't understand the defintion of a term in it...

"Assume that a certain 660-Hz tuning fork can be considered as a harmonic oscillator whose vibrational energy is 0.04 J. Compare the energy quanta of this tuning fork with those of an atomic osillator that emits and absorbs orange light whose frequency is 5.00*10^14 Hz."

What does the vibrational energy have to do with comparing the energy quanta?

Isn't E=hr enough?

 

[Nylex]

Have a look at this.

 

[thepatientmental]

The vibrational energy of a harmonic oscillator is directly related to the frequency of the oscillator, as shown in the formula E = (1/2)hf, where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency. In this case, the given tuning fork has a frequency of 660 Hz and a vibrational energy of 0.04 J. This means that each vibration of the tuning fork has an energy of 0.04 J.

In comparison, an atomic oscillator that emits and absorbs orange light has a frequency of 5.00*10^14 Hz. Using the same formula, we can calculate the energy of each quantum of light emitted or absorbed by the atomic oscillator. This energy would be significantly smaller than the energy of each vibration of the tuning fork, as the frequency of the atomic oscillator is much higher.

Therefore, the comparison of the energy quanta shows the difference in the energy levels of the two oscillators. In this case, the tuning fork has larger, more discrete energy levels, while the atomic oscillator has much smaller and more continuous energy levels.

While E = hf is enough to compare the energy levels of these two oscillators, understanding the concept of vibrational energy and its relationship to frequency can provide a deeper understanding of their differences.