Particles of matter also have a wavelength, called the de Broglie wavelength, given by \(\lambda = \frac{h}{p}\), where \(p\) is momentum. Matter is found to have the same interference characteristic...Particles of matter also have a wavelength, called the de Broglie wavelength, given by \(\lambda = \frac{h}{p}\), where \(p\) is momentum. Matter is found to have the same interference characteristics as any other wave.
Note that this can also be written in scalar form in terms of the wavelength as \(\Pi=\mathrm{h} / \lambda\). (We use \(\Pi\) rather than the more common \(p\) for momentum, because as we shall see, t...Note that this can also be written in scalar form in terms of the wavelength as \(\Pi=\mathrm{h} / \lambda\). (We use \(\Pi\) rather than the more common \(p\) for momentum, because as we shall see, there are two different kinds of momentum, one related to the wave number, the other related to the velocity of a particle.
The value \(\lambda\) that shows up in these equations is the wavelength; that is it’s the range of \(x\) over which it takes the sine or the cosine to go through one complete cycle. The fact that the...The value \(\lambda\) that shows up in these equations is the wavelength; that is it’s the range of \(x\) over which it takes the sine or the cosine to go through one complete cycle. The fact that the wave function, this abstract mathematical object which is used to figure out things about the state of a particle, also shows interference effects is what we mean when we say that sometimes particles behave like waves.
