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SOLUTIONS TO EXERCISE 16
hc 6.63 * 10^(-34) J sec * 3 * 10^17 nm/s
(a) Energy = ------ = --------------------------------------
Lambda 350 nm
= 5.68 * 10^-19 Joule
(b) The wavelength of a photon with 2.1 * 10^(-18) Joule is given by
hc 6.63 * 10^(-34) J sec * 3 * 10^17 nm/s
Lambda = ------ = -------------------------------------- = 94.7 nm
Energy 2.1 * 10^(-18) J
From the equation, you can see that the larger the wavelength gets, the
smaller the energy gets. Thus, the maximum wavelength of a hydrogen
ionizing photon here is 94.7 nm. Also from the equation, the smaller
the wavelength, the larger the energy; since you only need a photon with
more energy than 2.1 * 10^(-18) J, the minimum wavelength of a hydrogen
ionizing photon is zero. You can also reason that the minimum wavelength
would the minimum wavelength allowed by nuclear processes; this is not
necessary, but just for reference, a photon with a wavelength shorter
than about 0.001 nm will often turn into matter and antimatter spontaneously.
(c) Using Wien's Law, we know that Lambda * Temperature = 2.9 * 10^6 nm K.
So for Lambda = 94.7 nm, T = 2.9 * 10^6 / 94.7 = 30600 K. The sun's
surface temperature is about 5800 K, so such an object would have a
surface temperature over five times that of the Sun.
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