A laboratory spectrometer produces three independent monochromatic beams, labelled Beam I, Beam II, and Beam III. Their measured frequencies are given in the table below.
Beam
Frequency (Hz)
I
9.5×1014
II
3.0×1011
III
2.4×1018
Assume all three beams travel in vacuum.
(a) Identify the region of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., microwave, infrared, etc.) to which each beam most likely belongs. State the criterion you used for each identification.
(b) Rank the three beams according to photon energy, from greatest to least. Present your ranking unambiguously.
(c) Explain the physical reasoning that connects the numerical frequency values to the photon-energy ranking you provided in part (b).