Question

What is the conclusion of the photoelectric effect?

Answer 1

Photoelectric effect shows that the light has a particle-like nature and light is considered as photons or packets of energy. The photon can remove an electron from the surface of the metal. It is also to be noted that in the photoelectric effect, light energy is converted into electric energy.

Complete step-by-step solution:
The law of conservation of energy forms the basis for the photoelectric effect.
Photoelectric effect is a type of phenomenon in which the particles that are electrically charged are removed from the surface of metals or materials when the material absorbs electromagnetic radiation.
It is important to note that the emission of photoelectrons and the kinetic energy of the ejected photoelectrons and the kinetic energy of the ejected photoelectrons is dependent on the frequency of the light that is incident on the surface of the metal.
When the light strikes the surface of the metal then the electrons are emitted from the surface of metal and this phenomenon is known as photoemission.
The photoelectric effect occurs because the electrons at the surface of the metal tend to absorb energy from the incident light and then use that energy to overcome the attractive forces that bind them together and then they are emitted.
Minimum conditions for Photoelectric Effect:
Threshold Frequency: It is the minimum frequency of the incident light or radiation that will produce a photoelectric effect.
Threshold wavelength: During the emission of electrons, a metal surface corresponding to the greatest wavelength to incident light is known as threshold wavelength.
Threshold Energy: The minimal energy of thermodynamic work needed to remove an electron from a conductor to a point in the vacuum immediately outside the surface of the conductor is known as work function or threshold energy.
The conclusions of the photoelectric effect are:
The photoelectric effect is caused when the photons in the light energy that strikes the metal surface interact with the electrons in the metal. Each of the photons interacts with one electron.

Note: The photoelectric effect was discovered by a German physicist, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. He observed that when ultraviolet rays of light shine on metal electrodes when the voltage is applied across them then the light changes the voltage and it is the voltage at which the sparkling of light takes place.