- #1
Hercuflea
- 596
- 49
For a given entity, what is the convention for determining whether it behaves as a wave or as a particle? I know that we generally treat neutrons as waves when they travel faster than .2c, but is there an "absolute" way of determining this for a general particle, or is there a wave-threshold convention that I should be familiar with?
My interpretation would be that we treat the entity as a particle when it has a deBroglie wavelength on the order of atomic dimensions (~ 10-10 m), and that wavelengths much larger than atomic dimensions would be treated as waves. Is this a valid assumption (considering need to know this for an upcoming exam).
My interpretation would be that we treat the entity as a particle when it has a deBroglie wavelength on the order of atomic dimensions (~ 10-10 m), and that wavelengths much larger than atomic dimensions would be treated as waves. Is this a valid assumption (considering need to know this for an upcoming exam).