Question
Suppose an MRI scanner uses 100-MHz radio waves. (a) Calculate the photon energy. (b) How does this compare to typical molecular binding energies?
1. $4.14 \times 10^{-7}\textrm{ eV}$
2. The photon energy is about $4 \times 10^{-7}$ times smaller than typical molecular binding energies.
Solution Video

# OpenStax College Physics Solution, Chapter 30, Problem 63 (Problems & Exercises) (0:52)

#### Sign up to view this solution video!

View sample solution

## Calculator Screenshots

Video Transcript

This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. The energy of a photon is given by equation [29.13] which is Planck's constant times the frequency and we are told the frequency is 100 megahertz. So we go 100 times 10 to the 6 hertz multiplied by Planck's constant— 4.14 times 10 to the minus 15 electron volt seconds— giving an energy of 4.14 times 10 to the minus 7 electron volts. And then we compare that with representative energies for sub-microscopic effects and we see that the binding energy of a weakly bound molecule is about 1 electron volt. And so we take this photon energy, divide it by that and we get 4 times 10 to the minus 7. So the photon energy is about 4 times 10 to the minus 7 times smaller than typical molecular binding energies.