Project Description
The aim of my project was to test Compton’s model for the interaction between electromagnetic (EM) radiation and free electrons. Compton’s development of this model was of great importance for the understanding of the wave-particle duality. It is based on a particle model for EM radiation, which in classic physics is interpreted as waves. I tested the model by analyzing scattering in the angles between 60 and 120 degrees. The results in the angles above 70 degrees corresponded well with the model, and the deviations in the lower angles could be explained by systematic sources of error. Thus the results do not indicate that the theory should be reevaluated, but support the particle model for the interaction between EM radiation and matter.
