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Einstein's Photoelectric Theory

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JUBILE ALMOND BIN ADISNELSON Moe
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8 views10 pages

Einstein's Photoelectric Theory

Uploaded by

JUBILE ALMOND BIN ADISNELSON Moe
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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- Albert Einstein introduced photoelectric theory (1905).

This theory is named


Einstein’s Photoelectric Theory.
- that successfully explained all the characteristics of photoelectric effect in related
Experiments.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for this achievement.
- Einstein applied Max Planck’s idea of energy quantum. He suggested that energy
is carried by light particles called photons. The energy of each photon is directly
proportional to the frequency of light, f and can be determined by the following
equation.

- Each quantum of light is a discrete packet of energy.


- There are many energy packets in a beam of light that shines on the metal
surface.
- When a photon arrives at a metal surface, the photon energy will be fully
absorbed by an electron in the metal.
- This energy is used to release the electron from the metal and the extra energy
will become the kinetic energy of the photoelectron.
- Usually, the electrons on a metal surface will acquire maximum kinetic energy
compared to the electrons inside the metal
Work Function and Threshold Frequency for Photoelectric Effect
- The minimum energy required for a photoelectron to be emitted from a metal surface is
known as work function.
- The minimum frequency for a light photon to produce photoelectric effect is called
threshold frequency.
- The relationship between work function and threshold frequency of a metal can be
determined by the relationship

W = hf0
- Photoelectrons will acquire kinetic energy when light frequency exceeds threshold
frequency.
- The higher the threshold frequency of a metal, the higher the work function.
- This means the minimum energy required for photoelectric effect to occur is higher.

- The relationship between the maximum kinetic energy of photoelectrons, K max


and the light frequency, f is shown by the graph in Figure 7.12.
- The graph is a straight line with a positive gradient and not passing through the
origin.
- The threshold frequency, f0 is the value of the intercept on the frequency axis.

- Different metals have different threshold frequencies as shown in Figure 7.13


ACTIVITY 7.8
Problem Solving Using Einstein's Photoelectric Equation
Generating Photoelectric Current in a Photocell Circuit
Figure 7.15 shows a photocell circuit consisting of a
glass vacuum tube.
The semi-cylindrical cathode is coated with a
light-sensitive metal and connected to the negative
potential.
The anode is a metal rod fixed at the axis of the semi-
cylindrical cathode and connected to the positive
potential.
When the photocell is illuminated by light, the
production of photoelectric current is produced in
the circuit.
Table 7.5 are two examples of
common photocells.

The higher the work function, the shorter the maximum wavelength required
to produce photoelectric current.

As the light intensity increases, the photoelectric current in the photocell circuit also
increases.
Photoelectric Effect Applications
LED lamps along the road which are powered
by solar cells are energy efficient and
environmentally friendly.
In daylight, the photoelectric effect of solar
cells enables electrical energy to be stored
in the battery.
At night, the LED lamps will light up with the
power from the battery
The Noor Complex Solar Power
Plant located in the Sahara Desert
is the world’s largest concentrated
solar power plant.
This station is expected to be completed in
2020 and is capable of producing 580
MW capacity for use by 1 million residents

Light detectors at the automatic


doors use infrared beam and
photocells as switches.
When the light path is disturbed,
photoelectric current in the photocell circuit
will be disconnected and the door will
remain open

The image sensor is a main component in


high-resolution cameras.
This component is used to convert light into
electrical signals which can be
processed to form digital images

The operation of the ISS (International Space


Station) depends on the source of electrical
energy generated from solar panels.
The ISS has 16 wings of solar panels
and each wing which measures 35 m × 12 m
has 33 thousand solar cells.
These panels are capable of generating
84 – 120 kW of electricity.

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