Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Yale University

Quantum Mechanics - Key Experiments and Wave-Particle Duality

Yale University via YouTube

Start learning Write review
Coursera Ad

All Coursera Certificates 40% Off

Learn More → Boot.dev Ad

The Most Addictive Python and SQL Courses

Learn More →

Overview

Coursera Flash Sale
40% Off Coursera Plus for 3 Months!
Grab it
Explore the foundations of quantum mechanics in this lecture from Yale University's Fundamentals of Physics II course. Delve into the double slit experiment and its implications for Newtonian mechanics. Examine the de Broglie relation, connecting wavelength and momentum for photons and electrons. Review experimental evidence supporting Einstein's photon theory of light, including the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering. Discover the wave function and its probability interpretation. Investigate the uncertainty principle and its connection to wave diffraction. Cover key topics such as Young's double slit experiment, the particulate nature of light, particle-wave duality of matter, and the uncertainty principle in this comprehensive 1-hour 14-minute lecture.

Syllabus

- Chapter 1. Recap of Young's double slit experiment.
- Chapter 2. The Particulate Nature of Light .
- Chapter 3. The Photoelectric Effect.
- Chapter 4. Compton's scattering.
- Chapter 5. Particle-wave duality of matter.
- Chapter 6. The Uncertainty Principle.

Taught by

YaleCourses

Tags

Reviews

4.7 rating, based on 3 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Quantum Mechanics - Key Experiments and Wave-Particle Duality

  • Profile image for Adnan Fauzi
    Adnan Fauzi @Bonhaviour
    This topic beautifully captures the turning point of modern physics. From the photoelectric effect explained by Albert Einstein to the double-slit experiment inspired by Thomas Young, the discussion clearly shows how classical physics failed to explain microscopic phenomena. The concept of wave–particle duality, later formalized by Louis de Broglie, challenges intuition yet opens the door to deeper understanding of reality.

    Overall, the material is intellectually stimulating, foundational for STEM learners, and essential for anyone curious about how nature behaves at the quantum scale.
  • Tao Wang
    This isn’t your typical dry physics textbook chapter. Instead, it breaks down those foundational, mind-bending experiments that make quantum mechanics so bizarre. Reading it felt like following a detective story—tracking how the photoelectric effect and double-slit experiments forced scientists to abandon classical intuition. The authors clearly explain how light and electrons defy simple categorization, compellingly arguing for the necessity of the wave-particle duality model. It’s a concise, focused primer that doesn’t just tell you the concepts but shows you the evidence that built them. Essential for grasping the “why” behind the theory.
  • Eliana Lulseged Abera
    It was very good. I learned a lot of things that i never knew. I like how the teacher explains everything briefly.
Start learning

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Sign up for free
Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.