Physical Science

Quarter 2 – Module 9
Dual Nature of Electrons
Physical Science
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 9: Dual Nature of Electrons
First Edition 2020

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Physical Science
Quarter 2 – Module 9
Dual Nature of Electrons
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Physical Science Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Module on Dual Nature of Electrons!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators

both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while
overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration
their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that willhelp you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

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Welcome to the Physical Science Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)
Module on Dual Nature of Electrons!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action, and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create, and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to check what
you already know about the lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link the current
lesson with the previous one.
What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to you in
various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the lesson. This

aims to help you discover and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent practice to

solidify your understanding and skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or

blank sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will help you
transfer your new knowledge or skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of

mastery in achieving the learning competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given to

you to enrich your knowledge or skill of

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 the lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find answer key to serve as your guide to
check your level of understanding.

References This is a list of all sources used in developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Do not forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master by citing experimental evidences showing that electrons can behave like
waves. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students.
The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the
order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook
you are now using.

The module is divided into two lessons, namely:

• Lesson 1 – Is an Electron a Particle or a Wave?

• Lesson 2 – Evidences of Wave-like Behavior of Electrons

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. describe a particle and a wave

2. identify key persons and their contribution in the development of the
wave-particle duality theory.
.

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 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. A minute portion of matter and was known as the smallest building block of the
universe.
a. Particle
b. Photon
c. Portion
d. Product

2. The theory that states all matter and light shows the characteristics of both wave
and particle.
a. Dual wave-portion theory
b. Wave-dual particle theory
c. Wave-particle duality theory
d. Duality of wave-product theory

3. A point particle with a negative electric charge.

a. Atom
b. Electron
c. Neutron
d. Proton

4. A disturbance that travels through a space-time.

a. Diffraction
b. Photon
c. Reflection
d. Wave

5. He was the first to coined the term “electron” for the electric charge quantity. a.
Albert Einstein
b. Christiaan Huygens
c. Joseph John Thomson
d. George Johnstone Stoney

6. He discovered electron particles using cathode ray tube.

a. Isaac Newton
b. Francesco Grimaldi.
c. Joseph John Thomson

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 d. George Johnstone Stoney

7. He proposed the particle theory of light.

a. Isaac Newton
b. Louis de Broglie
c. Max Planck
d. Thomas Young

8. He proposed the wave theory of light.

a. Max Planck.
b. Isaac Newton.
c. Thomas Young
d. Christiaan Huygens.

9. He used the double slit experiment to observe the behavior of electrons. a. Albert
Einstein
b. Max Planck
c. Louis de Broglie
d. Thomas Young

10. He hypothesized that the wave-like behavior of electrons seen in light can also be
present in matter. a. Isaac Newton
b. Louis de Broglie
c. Thomas Young
d. Christian Huygens

TRUE OF FALSE

Directions: Write the word TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if
otherwise.

____________ 11. Electrons have no known mass and slightly bigger than proton.
____________ 12. Wave interference can be applied to sound and light.
____________ 13. When the crest part of a wave meets another crest, sound will
produced.
____________ 14. When there is no wave interference, no sound and light is
produced.
____________ 15. The dual nature of electrons paved the way for quantum physics.

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Lesson
Is an Electron a Particle or a
1 Wave?

We all know that atom is the building block of all matter in the universe. These
extremely small particles are made up of a few even smaller particles. The
earliest particles discovered that make up an atom are protons, neutrons and
electrons. But scientists did not stop looking for the fundamental particles of
matter and what “holds” them together. Recent discoveries suggest that quarks,
which make up protons and neutrons, are another type of fundamental particle.
Together with the leptons, quarks make up the stuff we think of as matter.
Large parts of modern physics and chemistry are based on the study of energy
levels of various atomic and molecular systems. Through the advancement in
technology, laboratory instruments are now able to contain and observe
individual electrons while telescopes can detect electron plasma by its energy
emission. All these were the result of understanding the atomic and molecular
behavior of the subatomic particles, specifically the electrons.
This lesson will help enhance your understanding about the molecular behavior
of electrons and how its discovery led to the development of the wave-particle
duality theory.

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 What’s In
CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

3. Electromagnetic wave visible to the naked eye

4. Positively charged particle

5. Quantized partickles

DOWN

1. Negatively charged particle

2. Building block of matter

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 What’s New

Tell something about the illustrations. Relate your answers on science concepts.

1.

2.

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3.

4.

What is It

Is Electron a Particle or a Wave?

This question may seem a simple one but in the scientists’ inquisitive minds, this is not
so. In science, a particle is described as a minute portion of matter and is also referred
to as the smallest known building blocks of the universe. This means that everything
that makes up matter and universe is called particle. So how can electrons become a
wave? Well, the first thing that we need to understand is to discover more about
electrons. Are you ready? If yes, then let us proceed.
The electron is a subatomic particle that has a negative electric charge. It has a no
known structure and is believed to be a point particle. It has a mass that is
approximately 1836 times less than that of the proton. The anti-particle of the electron
is called the positron which is identical to electron except that it is producing a pair (or
more) of gamma ray photons. The name “electron” was introduced for the electric
charge quantity in 1894 by Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney. The electron was
identified as a particle by Joseph John Thomson in 1897 using the cathode ray tubes

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that enabled him to calculate the charge to mass ratio. He wona Nobel prize for his
work.

Then, where does the idea of electron being a wave come from? It is like having two
different worlds mold into one! A sound impossible isn’t it? Let us continue exploring
by understanding what is a wave and if electrons manifest this wave-like behavior.
In physics, a wave is described as a disturbance that travels through space-time and
medium accompanied by transferring energy from one place to another. A medium may
be a substance or material that carries the wave. The wave medium is not the wave
and it does not make the wave; it merely transports the wave from its source to
other locations. Remember, waves transfer energy and not matter. Thus, waves are said
to be an energy transport phenomenon.

Consider a slinky wave as an example.

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Evidently, in describing these two words, waves and particles are very different.
We can say that a particle is a small thing, finite object. You can hold a particle
in your hand. Particles have momentum and positions. On the other hand,
waves are oscillations, they are not localized. When the waves meet together,
crest meets crests it is called constructive interference. When the waves cancel
each other, no interaction at all, it is called destructive interference.

We can apply this wave interference in sound and light. When two waves meet
together, sounds are produced, light is present. When there is no wave
interaction, no sounds are created and only darkness.
Photo Credit: http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/bubbles.html

Now, how is electron become a particle and exhibit wave-like behavior at the
same time? Let us go back to memory lane by tracing how it all started.

Lesson
Evidences of Wave-like
2 Behavior of Electrons
Two famous scientists in the 1600s, Christian Huygens and Isaac Newton were
both working on the theories for the behavior of light. Huygens proposed a wave
theory of light while Newton’s was a “corpuscular” (particle) theory of light.

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Newton believed that light was made up of small particles and these particles
would naturally have mass too. Since light particles have mass, he deduced that
a beam of light parallel to the surface of the earth would bend downward due to
the pull of earth’s gravity. On the other hand, Huygens believed that light was
made up of vibrating waves perpendicular to the direction of the light travels.
With this concept, he was able to formulate a way to visualize wave propagation.
Huygen suggested that light wave peaks form surfaces like the layers of an
onion. In a vacuum or other uniform mediums, the light waves are spherical
and these wave surfaces advance or spread out as they travel at the speed of
light. This Huygen’s Principle explains why light shining through a pin hole or
slit will spread out rather than going in a straight line.
In 1803, Thomas Young studied the interference of light waves using the
double-slit experiment. By shining light through a screen with two slits equally
separated, the light emerging form the two slits, spread out according to
Huygen’s principle. Eventually the two wave fronts will overlap with each other.
His experiment firmly supported Huygen’s wave theory of light. Later in 1815,
August Fresnel supported Young’s experiments with mathematical calculations.
In the early nineteenth century, diffraction (slight bending) of light had been
observed which firmly support the wave theory of light over Newton’s particle
theory. The term diffraction was first discovered and coined by Francesco
Grimaldi, an Italian natural philosopher. In 1900 Max Planck proposed the
existence of a light quantum, a finite packet of energy which depends on the
frequency and velocity of the radiation. The birth of quantum physics is
attributed to Max Planck’s experiment on black body radiation.

In 1905 Albert Einstein had proposed a solution to the problem of observations

made on the behavior of light having characteristics of both wave and particle
theory. Using the works of Planck on emission of light to form hot bodies,
Einstein suggested that light is composed of tiny particles called photons and
each photon has energy. This finding came to be known as the photon theory of
light which later led to the conceptualization of quantum mechanics in the
twentieth century.
After the wave-particle dual behavior of electron in light was accepted, another
scientist took a leap by testing the hypothesis in matter. Louis de Broglie made
a bold assumption and performed experiments to confirm whether the same
observation can be seen in matter. In 1924, he was able to observed wave
properties of the particle when beams of electrons and neutrons were directed at

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crystals and diffraction patterns were seen. He concluded that everything has a
wavelength but the wave properties of matter are only observable for very small
objects. He showed that the waveparticle duality was not merely on light but
can be exhibited by both radiation and matter. Thus, the wave-particle duality
theory which states that matter and light exhibit the behaviors of both waves
and particles depending upon the circumstances or condition was accepted.

Further studies was made by De Broglie and he found out that the probability of
finding a particle at a particular location is related to the wave associated with
the particle. The larger the amplitude of the wave at a particular point, the
larger the probability that the electron will be found there. Similarly, the smaller
amplitude the smaller the probability. This means that the larger the objects,
the smaller wavelengths can be observed. But for small objects, wavelengths are
more distinct as shown in the double slit experiment with electrons. Because of
his profound discovery, de Broglie won a Nobel Prize.

What’s More

Activity 1.1 Experimental Evidences of Electrons Behaving like

a Wave
Atoms are the building blocks of matter. This means that every thing around us
is made up of atoms, both for the living and non-living things.
The following video links will help you enhance your understanding about the
wave-particle dual nature behavior of electrons. Watch and analyze before
answering the “Activity Assessment.”
Part A. Nature of light: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1yIApZtLos

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Part B. Wave-Particle Duality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCmtegdqOOA

Activity 1.2 Guide Questions

Directions: Answer briefly and concisely the following questions.
PART A : Nature of light

1. How did Newton view about the nature of light?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. What particular evidence shows that light is a particle?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What particular evidence show that light is a wave?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4-5. Is light a particle or a wave?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

PART B: Wave Particle Duality

6 -8. Describe how the following behave as they enter the two slits:

A. Particle _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

B. Wave ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

C. Quantum objects _______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

9. What do you think will happen if an observer modifies the experiment?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

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 ____________________________________________________________________________

10. Briefly explain the Wave-Particle Duality Theory.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

What I Have Learned

Directions: Briefly describe the illustrations by citing scientific explanation

based on the wave particle duality theory.

______________________________________________________________________________
____
______________________________________________________________________________
____
__________________________________________________________________________________

2.

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 1.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

3.

2.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

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Using the suggested materials try to perform this experiment at home for you to
have an actual observations on how electrons behave as a particle and a wave.

Materials:

• Laser (be careful not to shine this in anyone’s eyes)

• Needle
• Tape
• Table
• White printer paper
• Dark room
• Flat wall

Procedure:
1. Fold and unfold your sheet of printer paper once so that it can stand
upright.
2. Make a tiny hole in your paper with your needle.

3. Stand your printer paper upright on a table that is at least ten feet away
from the wall.
4. Use your tape to mount your laser pointer to a stable object, like a heavy
book. Place the mounted laser on the table.
5. Turn your laser on. Adjust the angle of your laser so that it passes through
the hole in your paper and onto the wall. What did you see? Is it what you
expected to see?
6. Make another hole in your paper right next to the first one so that they’re as
close together as possible without creating one larger hole.
7. Adjust your laser so that it now passes through both holes. Observe the
shapes created on the wall. What do you see? Was it what you expected to
see?
8. Cover one of the holes with a small piece of paper, leaving the other open.
How does the projected image on the wall change?

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Guide Questions:

1. Describe the pattern of light as it passes through;

A. One slit______________________________________________________________________

B. Two slits _____________________________________________________________________

2. How does the projected image on the wall change when one of the holes was
covered?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you infer from the activity about the behavior of light particles?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Assessment

MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Directions: Choose the LETTER of the best answer.

1. Light demonstrates the characteristics of______.

A. Particle

B. Wave

C. Both wave and particle

D. Neither particle nor wave

2. Wave particle duality best applies in analyzing the motion of ________.

A. Projectile

B. Space shuttle

C. Heavenly bodies

D. Electrons

3. Which phenomenon best supports the theory that matter has a wave nature?

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 A. Electron momentum

B. Electron diffraction

C. Photon momentum

D. Photon diffraction

4. On the atomic level energy and matter exhibit the characteristics of _______.

A. Particles only

B. Waves only

C. Neither particles nor waves

D. Both particles and waves

5. What does the theory of modern Physics tells us about light?

A. Demonstrate wave property only

B. It combines wave and particle properties

C. Exclusively shows particle property

D. It has neither wave nor particle properties

6. Which of the following is an example of light behaving like a particle?

A. Photoelectric effect

B. Doppler effect

C. Interference

D. Diffraction

7. What was the first experiment to show that light is a wave?

A. The oil drop experiment

B. The gold foil experiment

C. The double-slit experiment

D. The propagation of wave experiment

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8. Why is laser light used in double-slit experiment? A. It is made up of different

wavelengths.

B. It is made up of coordinated waves of exactly the same wavelengths.

C. It is made up of uncoordinated beam of light.

D. It is made up of intense beam of light.

9. What wave -like property of light is shown when light bends as enters an opening?

A. Reflection

B. Diffraction

C. Refraction

D. Interference

10. What does the dark fringe patterns of light wave on the screen in double slit
experiment show?

A. Destructive interference

B. Reflected interference

C. Constructive interference

D. Diffracted interference

MATCHING TYPE:

Directions: Match the scientist in Column A with their contribution in Column

B. Write the LETTER of the answer on the space provided.

COLUMN A COLUMN B

______ 11. Christiaan Huygens A. Proposed the particle theory of light

______ 12. Isaac Newton
wave
______ 13. Louis De Broglie
______ 14. Max Planck
______ 15. Thomas Young
B. Proposed light as electromagnetic
C. Proved the dual nature of electron in
light, radiation and all matter
D. Performed the double-slit
experiment
E. Originator of quantum physics
F. Proposed the wave theory of light

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 Additional Activities

Research Work
Directions: Research at least one invention made out of the discovery of the
wave-particle duality of electrons. Choice of presentation can be through
Powerpoint or Microsoft word/WPS application.

Rubric for Grading

The research work will be scored from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. The
criteria for grading are as follows:

Criteria Expectations

Organization and Organization of idea and content is accurate. Language used

Content is in own words, not copy pasted from the source.

Picture Clear and authentic. Image should bear the credit source
below the picture.

Cited Resources Follows the Chicago Manual style in citing references.

Timeliness Should be submitted on time. Deduction of one point per day

will be administered.

WORD SEARCH ACTIVITY

Directions: Find and encircle the missing words hidden in the grid.
The words may be hidden in any direction.

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 Wave Particle Electron Interference
Medium

References
Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “Wave-Particle Duality-Definition Light Acts as Both a Wave
and a Particle.” February 2, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/ definition-of-
wave-particle-duality-605947.

Jones, Andrew Zimmerman. “Does All Matter Exhibit Wave-like Properties?.” May
7, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/de-broglie-hypothesis-2699351.

Jones, Andrew Zimmerman. “Wave-Particle Duality and How it Works.” July 3, 2019.
https://www.thoughtco.com/wave-particle-duality-2699037.

Kelleher, Colm. “Is light a particle or a wave?” June 13, 2013. https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=J1yIApZtLos.

Mann, Adam. “What are Elementary Particles?.” May 7, 2019. https://www.live

science.com/65427-fundamental-elementary-particles.html.

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Peshin, Akash. “Wave-Particle Duality: Is an Electron a Particle or a Wave?.” December
12, 2019. https://www.scienceabc.com/pure-sciences/louise-debroglies-
hyothesis-is-an-electron-a-particle-or-a-wave.html

“Electron.” https://phys.org/tags/electrons/. Retrieved June 2, 2020.

“What is a Wave?.” https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/Lesson 1/What-

is-a-Wave. Retrieved June 2, 2020.

Triangle de la Physique, PALM, Sciences à l'Ecole, ICAM-I2CAM, “Wave partcleduality”

copyright Bobroff 2012 https://www.youtube.com/ watch? v=qCmtegdqOOA

Education.com.”Wave Particle Duality of Light” https://www.education.com/ science-

fair/article/light-wave-thomas-young-double/. Copyright 2020

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