What is the Correct Proof for the de Broglie Equation?

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    De broglie Proof
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the proof of the de Broglie equation, exploring the relationship between wavelength, momentum, and energy of particles, particularly photons. Participants debate the validity of various proofs and the application of concepts from relativity and quantum mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the validity of using the equation E=mc² for photons, arguing that it applies to particles at rest, while others assert that relativistic mass can be used.
  • One participant suggests that de Broglie's proof is stronger because it relates wave packets to particles, indicating a consistent relationship between wavelength and momentum.
  • There is a claim that the momentum of a photon is given by P=E/c, where E=hf, and that photons do not have rest mass but possess relativistic mass.
  • Some participants argue that mixing relativistic and non-relativistic equations is problematic, particularly in the context of kinetic energy and total energy equations.
  • One participant introduces the concept of the Doppler effect in relation to energy changes for moving light sources, linking it to frequency shifts.
  • There are discussions about constants such as C and G, and their roles in mass/energy and space/time relationships.
  • Some participants express confusion over the treatment of mass and energy in the context of photons and particles in motion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the validity of the proofs presented or the application of certain equations to photons. Multiple competing views remain regarding the interpretation of mass, energy, and momentum in the context of the de Broglie equation.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the definitions of mass and energy in different contexts, particularly regarding relativistic versus rest mass. There are unresolved mathematical steps and assumptions about the applicability of certain equations to photons and other particles.

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I saw a proof in a book for the de broglie equation which I thought was wrong.

if l = lambda, so wavelength and then all other notation is standard they said:

E=mc^2
E=hf

therefore,

mc^2=hf

but for a photon, c=v
so:

mv^2=hf

but mv=P
so:

Pv=hf

and v=fl
so:

Pfl=hf
Pl=h

and finally:

l=h/P

Anyway, that's what they said. But I thought since a photon doesn't have a mass "mv" couldn't be its momentum. Or does it not matter?
 
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It's correct because it uses relativistic mass, but still it doesn't prove anything about non-photons. I think de Broglie had a slightly stronger proof: relativity implies that if a particular wave packet represents a particular particle (photon or otherwise) then it will always have the same relation between wavelength and momentum, but even that doesn't require the same value of h to be shared for all particle types. Perhaps there is no theoretical a priori proof?
 
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the mometum of a photon is P=E/c where E=hf the energy of a photon
and i thought E=mc^2 cannot be used for a photon beacuse that equation is for
particles at rest and light is never at rest.
 
Unredeemed said:
I saw a proof in a book for the de broglie equation which I thought was wrong.

if l = lambda, so wavelength and then all other notation is standard they said:

E=mc^2
E=hf

therefore,

mc^2=hf

but for a photon, c=v
so:

mv^2=hf

but mv=P
so:

Pv=hf

and v=fl
so:

Pfl=hf
Pl=h
!
and finally:

l=h/P

Anyway, that's what they said. But I thought since a photon doesn't have a mass "mv" couldn't be its momentum. Or does it not matter?

no, for a photon v=C, so E=mCC=hn, thus mass of a photon=hn/CC (m=hn/CC) for an electron at rest E=mCC but for an electron in motion E=mCC+ mvv/2 or E=m(CC+(vv/2)) ie. the mass energy plus the kinetic energy. now take special relativity and E=hn=hn+h(nsub1-nsub2); C is just the constant of proportionality for conservation of mass/energy, think of it this way: CC=E/m or C= plus or minus the square root of E/m
 
E=mCC=hn or CC=E/m.
C is the constant for conservation of mass/energy and follows special relativity.
G is the constant for conservation of space/time and follows general relativity.
If one takes the mass of a photon as m=hn/CC then we have the the observed accelleration of a photon in a gravitational field and Albert's eclipse test.
Albert's photo-electric effect is just this: hn=mCC+mvv/2, if hn is greater than the fermi energy an electron is moved up.
The converse is Sammy's electro-photic effect: mCC+mvv/2=E=hn=h(nsub1+nsub2); if an electron of sufficient total energy impinges on metal then a photon is emmited; also called a light bulb.
A special case is when an anti-electron impinges on anti-metal an anti-photon is emmited; this would be an anti-flashlight or a black-hole.
Doppler is just special relativity:E=hn=h(n1-n2)=m(CC-vv/2) where the shift is the frequency change based on the velocity of the observer relative to the light source.
In Albert's eclipse test the curvature of light in a gravitational field is shown but they did not check for the frequency shift that would have been evident.
Plank's constant is the constant of proportionality between mass/energy and space/time.
Thus we have the relationship between gravity and electromagnetic events.
Next time I will address the atomic scale and do away with the misconceptions of strong and weak forces.
 
cragar said:
the mometum of a photon is P=E/c where E=hf the energy of a photon
and i thought E=mc^2 cannot be used for a photon beacuse that equation is for
particles at rest and light is never at rest.

As I have learned from my own topic m=E/c² is valid, IF m is the relativistic mass (and not rest mass, since that is zero for a photon).

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=300384"
Unredeemed said:
Anyway, that's what they said. But I thought since a photon doesn't have a mass "mv" couldn't be its momentum. Or does it not matter?
So photons do not have restmass, but they do have relativistic mass. Then this mass can be plugged into p=mv=mc to calculate the momentum.
 
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cragar said:
the mometum of a photon is P=E/c where E=hf the energy of a photon
and i thought E=mc^2 cannot be used for a photon beacuse that equation is for
particles at rest and light is never at rest.

no, no, no! E=mCC is the energy of a particle and is equal to the mass times C squared. True this is the mass energy of a particle at rest, so for a particle in motion just add 1/2 mass times velocity squared: E total= mCC+mvv/2, but for a photon all the energy is mass in motion at the speed of light, ie. v is defined as C for a photon.
The mass of a photon is found from E=mCC=hn, thus m=hn/CC ( I use CC for C^2, it is easier to read and to type on a computer, n is nu.)
 
C is the constant of mass/energy; G is the constant of space/time; h is the conversion factor between the two. Plank wants quanta: how about charge? Is it 1/3 of an electron charge? Then we have quarks with 1 or 2 quanta (+ or -), electron with 3(-), proton with 3(+) and neutron with 0. So 0, 1, 2, or 3 quanta. Any thoughts on this?
 
Sammy k-space said:
no, no, no! E=mCC is the energy of a particle and is equal to the mass times C squared. True this is the mass energy of a particle at rest, so for a particle in motion just add 1/2 mass times velocity squared: E total= mCC+mvv/2
No. Total energy (for a free particle) is given by:

E^2 = (mc^2)^2 + (pc)^2
This is true for all particles (massless or not).
The E = mc^2 is just a special case for a massive particle at rest.

Your equation instead tries to mix relativistic (mc^2) and non-relativistic quantities ( 1/2 mv^2 ). Please do not mix these together like that.
 
  • #10
The mass/energy of say an electron at rest is E=mCC, now give it a shove and add the kinetic energy: E total= mCC+mvv/2 ; this is just special relativity in terms of mass; in terms of frequency it is just doppler effect. C and G are just constants, h is the convertion factor. This stuff is so simple for me, yet few can understand it!
 
  • #11
Sammy k-space said:
no, no, no! E=mCC is the energy of a particle and is equal to the mass times C squared. True this is the mass energy of a particle at rest, so for a particle in motion just add 1/2 mass times velocity squared: E total= mCC+mvv/2, but for a photon all the energy is mass in motion at the speed of light, ie. v is defined as C for a photon.
The mass of a photon is found from E=mCC=hn, thus m=hn/CC ( I use CC for C^2, it is easier to read and to type on a computer, n is nu.)

So you are saying [itex]E=mc^2 + \frac{1}{2}mv^2[/itex] and because for photons c = v: [itex]E=mc^2 + \frac{1}{2}mc^2=\frac{3}{2}mc^2[/itex]. And then you say the mass of a photon can be found from [itex]E=h\nu=mc^2[/itex] (instead of (3/2)mc²)
That seems rather inconsistent to me, as Justin Levy pointed out as well. You aren't taking into account that [itex]E_k_i_n=\frac{1}{2}m_0v^2[/itex] deals with [itex]m_0[/itex] rather than [itex]m_r_e_l[/itex].

[itex]mc^2 = m_0c^2 + \frac{1}{2}m_0v^2[/itex] is only a good approximation at low speeds.
 
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  • #12
no, I said that e=mCC is the mass/energy, e=mvv/2 is the kinetic energy; sum of energy is E=mCC+mvv/2; also e=hn is the mass/energy of a photon, E=hn+h(n1+n2) is the mass/energy for a moving light source relative to the observer, ie. special relativity, doppler. Think of it this way: if the light source is moving towards the observer it is as if the photons have added kinetic energy, but C is constant so the energy change is expressed as an increase in frequency; if the light source is moving away from the observer then it is as if there is a decrease in kinetic energy, but again C is constant so there is a decrease in frequency. This is just doppler ( red-shift, blue-shift); this is just linear/special relativity.
For general relativity just use mass of a photon,m=hn/CC, in the gravity formula. The observed curvature of light path is an accelleration, but again C is constant along the path of light so the observer would see an increase in frequency of the photons. In the Eclipse test the curvature was observed, but I do not think they looked for the frequency shift nor could they have documented it with black and white film.
In summary, E=mCC=hn is just the conservation of mass/energy: CC=E/m=hn/m.

My first law of thermodynamics: There is one system, and this is it baby! a) there is conservation of mass/energy; b) there is conservation of space/time; c) there is conservation of angular momentum. Thus there is no need for the cat in a hat and no uncertainty.
My second law: there are two frames of reference a) this one: home of electric monopoles and magnetic dipoles b) the one that photons have: the orthogonal universe is the home of the magnetic monopoles (magnetons), gravitons, and time particles (chronotons); there may be a third frame of reference but I have not done the math yet. I can get enough dimensions to satisfy the Oiler equation. Thus no parallel universes only an orthogonal one (maybe two orthogonal universes).

You may wonder who I am; I proposed spherical carbon (bucky balls) 30 years ago and was laughed at; I did general relativity in rotational coordinates to simplefy the math but my professors could not get a handle on it. I am known as Sammy k-space because I can think in multi-dimensions. If you want to see what I see then try revolutions/sec instead of cycles/sec and photons become 3-D!
 
  • #13
Cragar, Albert's photo-electric effect is just the opposite of Sammy's electro-photic effect; ph>metal>e- vs e->metal>ph; for a black-hole then it is: e+>anti-metal>anti-ph, the photons are moving backwards in time and thus appear to fall back into the singularity(anti-light source). Quite simple!
 
  • #14
Here is proof of the de Broglie: Gh/CC is the constant of space/time, units are meters cubed per second, so we can warp space/time but with this constraint. This is the most significant equation since E=mCC and maybe ever. The space/time constant is proof of relativity, conservation of space/time, and m=hn/CC. Ask me how if you dare.
 
  • #15
Yes, space/time is invariant!
 
  • #16
ImAnEngineer said:
So you are saying [itex]E=mc^2 + \frac{1}{2}mv^2[/itex] and because for photons c = v: [itex]E=mc^2 + \frac{1}{2}mc^2=\frac{3}{2}mc^2[/itex]. And then you say the mass of a photon can be found from [itex]E=h\nu=mc^2[/itex] (instead of (3/2)mc²)
That seems rather inconsistent to me, as Justin Levy pointed out as well. You aren't taking into account that [itex]E_k_i_n=\frac{1}{2}m_0v^2[/itex] deals with [itex]m_0[/itex] rather than [itex]m_r_e_l[/itex].

[itex]mc^2 = m_0c^2 + \frac{1}{2}m_0v^2[/itex] is only a good approximation at low speeds.

no, v is the velocity of the observer relative to the source: I did not say 3/2, I said mCC+mvv/2=E relative for observer moving towards the source and mCC-mvv/2=E relative for observer moving away from the source. It is a vector sum.
 

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