# Does the continous EM spectrum contradict discrete energy? [duplicate]

After some research, it seems apparent to me that the EM spectrum is continuous, but this would contradict a physics fundamental that energy is discrete. Is there a conflict here?

## marked as duplicate by Rob Jeffries, ZeroTheHero, Yashas, peterh, John Rennie quantum-mechanics StackExchange.ready(function() { if (StackExchange.options.isMobile) return; $('.dupe-hammer-message-hover:not(.hover-bound)').each(function() { var$hover = $(this).addClass('hover-bound'),$msg = $hover.siblings('.dupe-hammer-message');$hover.hover( function() { $hover.showInfoMessage('', { messageElement:$msg.clone().show(), transient: false, position: { my: 'bottom left', at: 'top center', offsetTop: -7 }, dismissable: false, relativeToBody: true }); }, function() { StackExchange.helpers.removeMessages(); } ); }); }); May 1 '17 at 7:28

• You seem to be interpreting restricted claims in an unduly broad fashion. There is no general claim that "energy is discrete". There are many claims about discrete emission. Perhaps you can point us at the sources you are reading. Otherwise this is simply too broad. – dmckee Apr 30 '17 at 17:27
• – dmckee Apr 30 '17 at 17:30
• @daniel "Wasn't this question just asked?" Well the OP's previous question physics.stackexchange.com/questions/330025/… arises from the same misunderstanding, but this version makes the exact nature of the disconnect clearer. – dmckee Apr 30 '17 at 17:33
• I am temped now to answer this question of mine too. I think the lesson for me and perhaps others is this: There is a lot of misinformation out the on the web, youtube in particular. Tons of sites saying that energy is discrete. Good thing this site is here. – Lambda Apr 30 '17 at 17:41
• The two most common bases for this mis-claim are the photoelectric effect (which says that energy emission in a particular wavelength occurs in discrete chucks) and the line spectra of atoms (which is related to the steady-state energies available to bound systems being discrete). Both of these things are limited claims. – dmckee Apr 30 '17 at 17:48

The "physics fundamental" that "energy is discrete" that you refer to, when applied to the electromagnetic field, says that each mode of electromagnetic radiation at frequency $\nu$ can only hold energy in discrete lumps of size $h\nu$. However, there is a continuous infinity of possible modes spanning all possible frequencies $\nu\in(0,\infty)$.