Lesson 5.6.1

5.6.1 Electromagnetic radiation and photon energy Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 5.6.1, Electromagnetic radiation and photon energy: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 5: Waves and Particle Nature of Light, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the correct order of the electromagnetic spectrum from lowest to highest frequency?

    • Microwave, radio, visible, infrared, X-ray, ultraviolet, gamma
    • Gamma, X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave, radio
    • Radio, infrared, microwave, visible, ultraviolet, gamma, X-ray
    • Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma

  2. Which equation gives the energy of a photon of frequency f?

    • E = f/h
    • E = h lambda
    • E = h/f
    • E = hf, where h is the Planck constant

  3. What are the units of the Planck constant h?

    • Joule per second, J/s
    • Joule per hertz squared, J/Hz^2
    • Joule second, J s
    • Newton second, N s

  4. What is a photon?

    • A quantum of electromagnetic radiation, with energy hf
    • A particle of matter with a non-zero rest mass
    • A pulse of sound energy in air
    • A unit of electric charge

  5. What is the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum?

    • 3.0 x 10^8 m/s
    • 3.0 x 10^5 m/s
    • 3.0 x 10^6 m/s
    • 3.0 x 10^10 m/s

  6. How does the energy of a single photon change as its frequency increases?

    • It increases, in direct proportion to frequency
    • It increases with the square of the frequency
    • It stays the same, whatever the frequency
    • It decreases, in inverse proportion to frequency

  7. What is one electronvolt equal to, in joules?

    • About 1.6 x 10^-16 J
    • About 1.6 x 10^-19 J
    • About 6.6 x 10^-34 J
    • Exactly 1.0 J

  8. What is the energy of a photon of frequency 5.0 x 10^14 Hz? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s.

    • 1.3 x 10^-48 J
    • 3.3 x 10^-15 J
    • 7.5 x 10^-20 J
    • 3.3 x 10^-19 J

  9. What is the frequency of light of wavelength 600 nm? Take c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 5.0 x 10^12 Hz
    • 5.0 x 10^14 Hz
    • 2.0 x 10^15 Hz
    • 1.8 x 10^14 Hz

  10. What is the energy, in electronvolts, of a photon of wavelength 600 nm? Use hc = 1240 eV nm.

    • 5.0 eV
    • 2.1 eV
    • 3.2 eV
    • 0.48 eV

  11. What is the energy of a microwave photon of wavelength 3.0 cm? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s and c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 6.6 x 10^-24 J
    • 6.6 x 10^-32 J
    • 2.2 x 10^-14 J
    • 6.6 x 10^-26 J

  12. A laser emits 1.0 mW of light at 633 nm. Approximately how many photons are emitted per second? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s and c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 3.2 x 10^15 per second
    • 6.3 x 10^14 per second
    • 3.2 x 10^12 per second
    • 3.2 x 10^18 per second

  13. Which photon carries more energy: an X-ray photon of wavelength 0.10 nm or an ultraviolet photon of wavelength 300 nm?

    • The two photons have equal energy
    • The ultraviolet photon, because it has a longer wavelength
    • The X-ray photon, because it has a much shorter wavelength and so a higher frequency
    • The ultraviolet photon, because all ultraviolet photons carry more energy than X-rays

  14. By what factor does the energy of a photon change if its frequency doubles?

    • 1/2
    • 4
    • 2
    • 1

  15. What is 3.0 eV in joules?

    • 1.9 x 10^-19 J
    • 3.0 x 10^-19 J
    • 4.8 x 10^-17 J
    • 4.8 x 10^-19 J

  16. A student claims a microwave photon has more energy than a gamma photon because microwaves are far more common. Which evaluation is correct?

    • Incorrect, because photon energy depends only on frequency, and gamma photons have much higher frequency and energy
    • Incorrect, because photon energy depends only on the amplitude of the wave
    • Correct, because microwave photons have a larger frequency than gamma photons
    • Correct, because common radiation carries more energy per photon

  17. A 100 W lamp emits 2.0% of its power as light of wavelength 550 nm. How many photons per second does it emit? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s and c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 1.1 x 10^19 per second
    • 2.8 x 10^18 per second
    • 5.5 x 10^18 per second
    • 5.5 x 10^16 per second

  18. Light of frequency 1.0 x 10^15 Hz has photon energy of about how many electronvolts? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s.

    • 0.66 eV
    • 6.6 eV
    • 1.6 eV
    • 4.1 eV

  19. A photon has energy 2.0 eV. What is its frequency? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s.

    • 1.2 x 10^15 Hz
    • 4.8 x 10^14 Hz
    • 3.0 x 10^14 Hz
    • 2.1 x 10^-15 Hz

  20. Why can ultraviolet light cause sunburn while visible light of the same power generally does not?

    • Ultraviolet photons are physically larger than visible photons
    • Visible photons are completely absorbed by the outer layer of skin
    • Ultraviolet always carries more total power than visible light
    • Each ultraviolet photon carries enough energy to damage molecules, while visible photons carry less energy each

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