Protons are being accelerated in a particle accelerator.When the energy of the protons is doubled,their de Broglie wavelength will
A)increase by a factor of 4.
B)increase by a factor of 2.
C)decrease by a factor of 2.
D)increase by a factor of .
E)decrease by a factor of .

Question

Protons are being accelerated in a particle accelerator.When the energy of the protons is doubled,their de Broglie wavelength will
A)increase by a factor of 4. 
B)increase by a factor of 2. 
C)decrease by a factor of 2. 
D)increase by a factor of . 
E)decrease by a factor of .

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The de Broglie wavelength is inversely proportional to the momentum of the particle. When the energy of the proton is doubled, its momentum also doubles (since momentum is proportional to energy in the non-relativistic limit). Therefore, the de Broglie wavelength will decrease by a factor of 2 according to the de Broglie relation λ = h/p.

Protons Are Being Accelerated in a Particle Accelerator