University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321973615
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-361-0

Chapter 39 - Particles Behaving as Waves - Problems - Discussion Questions - Page 1313: Q39.7

Answer

The atom does not end up moving very fast.

Work Step by Step

Momentum is conserved, but as the atom is relatively massive, when it emits a photon, the atom doesn’t end up moving very fast, so its recoil energy is usually neglected. The fact that recoil energy does exist was proven by a famous experiment known as the Mossbauer effect.
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