Question

Infrared radiation from young stars can pass through the heavy dust clouds surrounding them, allowing astronomers here on Earth to study the earliest stages of star formation, before a star begins to emit visible light. Suppose an infrared telescope is tuned to detect infrared radiation with a frequency of 25.9 THz . Calculate the wavelength of the infrared radiation. Round your answer to 3 significant digits.

Answer 1

Answer:

$1.16\cdot 10^{-5} m$

Explanation:

The wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is given by

$\lambda=\frac{c}{f}$

where

c is the speed of light

f is the frequency

For the infrared radiation in this problem, the frequency is

$f=25.9 THz = 25.9 \cdot 10^{12} Hz$

Therefore, the wavelength is

$\lambda=\frac{3\cdot 10^8 m/s}{25.9\cdot 10^{12} Hz}=1.16\cdot 10^{-5} m$