Science glossary film: Quantum

A fixed amount of energy absorbed or released in an exchange of energy, or the smallest unit of any entity involved in an interaction. A photon is an example of a quantum, a packet of energy that cannot be subdivided. At the subatomic level, energy is always transferred in such quanta rather than in continuously variable amounts.

A photon is an example of a quantum, a packet of energy that cannot be subdivided. At the subatomic level, energy is always transferred in such quanta rather than in continuously variable amounts.