Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Practice 2025 – Comprehensive Prep

Light particles are referred to as photons. This term specifically describes the quantum of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light. Photons are massless particles that travel at the speed of light and carry energy proportional to the frequency of the light. They exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties, which is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics known as wave-particle duality. Understanding that photons are the carriers of light and its associated properties helps clarify various phenomena in physics and light behavior, such as reflection, refraction, and interference.

In contrast, atoms refer to the basic units of matter composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but they do not specifically describe light. Electrons are negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom, contributing to chemical bonding but are distinct from photons as they do not represent light itself. Molecules are formed when two or more atoms bond together, representing a chemical unit, but they also don’t pertain to light. Each of these terms plays a significant role in the fields of chemistry and physics, but photons uniquely characterize light particles.