If I know the speed of an electron, how should I go about calculating its frequency?
For example, if the electron was travelling at $v$ $ms^{-1}$ there are two options I could take.
- Calculate the momentum of the electron using $p=m_ev$. Then use the formula for de Broglie's wavelength to find the wavelength of the electron using $\lambda=\frac{h}{p}$. Then use the formula for wave speed, $v=f\lambda$ to get the frequency of the electron.
- Alternatively, I could find the kinetic energy of the electron using the formula $KE=(1/2)m_ev^2$. Then substitute the kinetic energy calculated into $E=hf$ to get the frequency of the electron.
The first method doesn't give me the right answer, but the second method does. Which step of the first method is incorrect and why?