Photoelectric Effect: The Phenomena
Einstein took Planck’s hypothesis seriously in order to explain the photoelectric effect. (Nobel Prize)
- Effect: Shining light on a metal can liberate electrons from its surface.
- Experimental facts:
- Easy for ultraviolet light (high frequency) and difficult for red light (low frequency).
- Energy of the electrons liberated depends on frequency of light
- Increasing intensity of light increases number of electrons emitted, but not the energy of each electron
If light is generated then quantized units, Einstein reasoned that it would also arrive at the metal with quantized amounts of energy