[Coco] EPROM question

[jdaggett at gate.net]

On 9 Feb 2008 at 11:53, Phill Harvey-Smith wrote:

> Gene Heskett wrote:
> > On Saturday 09 February 2008, Joef6809 wrote:
> >> Wow ask a simple question and got a lession in partical physics. I
> >> also gather that its near if not over its usfull life so I gotta
> >> get the thing read quick. BTW I thought alpha particals were just
> >> electrons and beta was a proton. Or do I have that backwards?
> > 
> > I believe you have it correctly.
> 
> Alpha = Heleum nucleus, 2xprotons+2xneutrons
> Beta  = Electron (or positron in some cases)
> Gamma = Photon, which is essentially the same as light, radio waves
> etc, 
>   just of a much higher frequency.
> 
> Mind despite what you may have learned at school, these are not the
> only 3 modes of decay, just the most common :)
> 
> Wikipedia has quite a good overview if anyone is interested....
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_decay
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Phill.

Photons are not essentially light. A better description of what a photon is would be that it is 
the basic element that explains the particle characteristics of electromagnetic radiation. 
Electromagnetic radiation, of which visible light is but a small part of, can be characterized 
as a particle or as a wave. It has charcteristics of both.  With the photon's discovery, the 
particle theory and the wave theory both comprise the duality principle of electromagnetic 
radiation. That is electromagnetic radiation can be described with either quantum equations 
as well as wave equations.  Photoelectric physics are best characterized by the particle 
theory of electromagnetic radiation. Wave theory better describes electromagnetic radiation 
in most other topics of physics. Of which the most famous set of wave equations are those 
proposed by Maxwell.  Maxwell's equations are the basis for all wave propogation of 
electromagnetic radiation. Any Electrical Engineer will have those pounded into memory 
albeit sometimes begrudgingly. 


james