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Question 44 of 47

Q.State Einstein's photoelectric equation and mention physical significance of each term involved in it. The wavelength of incident light is 4000Å. Calculate the energy of incident photon.

Maharashtra MsbshseMaharashtra HSC (MSBSHSE) Board 2025Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Einstein's equation says a photon transfers its entire energy to one electron, part of which overcomes the work function and the rest appears as the electron's kinetic energy.

Einstein's photoelectric equation:

Kmax=hν−ϕ0or equivalentlyeV0=hν−ϕ0K_{max} = h\nu - \phi_0 \qquad \text{or equivalently} \qquad eV_0 = h\nu - \phi_0

where:

  • hνh\nu is the energy of the incident photon of frequency ν\nu,
  • ϕ0=hν0\phi_0 = h\nu_0 is the work function of the metal — the minimum energy needed to just liberate an electron from the metal surface (equivalently expressed via the threshold frequency ν0\nu_0),
  • Kmax=12mvmax2K_{max} = \tfrac12 mv_{max}^2 is the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted photoelectron,
  • V0V_0 is the stopping potential, the retarding potential needed to stop even the most energetic photoelectrons. …

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