Davisson-germer Experiment
The Davisson and Germer experiment scattered a beam of electrons from a nickel crystal and observed a strong peak at a particular scattering angle, and a student states its significance.
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- dual nature of matter and radiation
- Topic
- davisson-germer experiment
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
It confirmed the wave nature of electrons through diffraction
NCERT describes the Davisson-Germer experiment as the landmark demonstration that electrons, long regarded as particles, also exhibit wave behaviour. When a collimated electron beam struck a nickel crystal, the scattered electrons showed a pronounced intensity peak at a specific angle, exactly the kind of constructive interference expected when waves diffract from the regularly spaced atomic planes of a crystal. The measured wavelength matched de Broglie's prediction λ=ph, providing direct experimental proof of matter waves. The option about measuring rest mass is wrong because the experiment concerned diffraction geometry, not mass determination. The option about proving electron charge is wrong because charge had already been established by earlier experiments like Millikan's oil drop. The option about light behaving as particles is wrong because this experiment addressed electrons behaving as waves, the complementary side of duality. As stated in NCERT Class 12, Chapter 11, the agreement between the observed and de Broglie wavelengths confirmed the wave nature of electrons. A consistency check confirms that a diffraction peak at a definite angle is a signature only a wave, not a classical particle, could produce.
This easy difficulty physics question is from the chapter dual nature of matter and radiation, covering the topic of davisson-germer experiment. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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