What is the frequency of this radiation?

Suppose you must decide whether a pre-Columbian mask is genuine before buying it for a museum. It looks genuine, but to ensure its authenticity, you shine X rays of wavelength 1.71 × 10^–10 m on it to see if a certain element is present. What is the frequency of this radiation?

1 Answer
Apr 23, 2018

#1.75 × 10^18\ "Hz"#

Explanation:

#"X-rays"# are electromagnetic waves. Their speed is nearly #3.0 × 10^8\ "m/s"#

Speed, frequency and wavelength are related as

#"v = f λ"#

#"f" = "v"/"λ" = (3 × 10^8\ "m/s")/(1.71 × 10^-10\ "m") = 1.75 × 10^18\ "Hz"#