unlocked puzzles of science

    Wave-Particle Duality One of the major phenomenon that can't be explained by classical mechanics is the wave-particle duality. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves.           Fig: Wave-Particle duality Particle nature of light explains photoelectric effect and black body radiation. Wave nature of light explains the phenomenon of interference and diffraction.  Wave-particle duality is the ability of a matter to behave as a wave or particle.  The Schrodinger equation  determines the allowed wave functions for the system and how they evolve over time. A wave function behaves qualitatively like other waves such as water waves and waves on a string, because the Schrodinger equation is mathematically a type of wave equation. This explains the name 'wave function'  and gives rise to the wave -particle duality.  The wave of the wave function is not a wave in physical state, it is a wave in an abstract mathe...