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Question 71 of 96

Q.Derive Einstein's photoelectric equation.

Puducherry TnboardTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2018Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★
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Einstein's photoelectric equation follows directly from energy conservation when a single photon is completely absorbed by a single electron in a metal.

  1. According to Einstein, light of frequency ν\nu consists of photons (quanta), each of energy E=hνE=h\nu, where hh is Planck's constant.
  2. When such a photon strikes a metal surface, it is absorbed completely by a single electron (one photon interacts with one electron).
  3. A minimum energy, called the work function W0=hν0W_0 = h\nu_0 (ν0\nu_0 = threshold frequency), is required to just free the electron from the metal surface, overcoming the attractive forces holding it there.
  4. If the photon's energy hνh\nu exceeds W0W_0, the excess energy appears as kinetic energy of the emitted photoelectron; for an electron emitted from the surface without further energy loss, this is the maximum possible kinetic energy KEmax=12mvmax2KE_{max} = \frac{1}{2}mv_{max}^2.
  5. By conservation of energy: hν=W0+12mvmax2h\nu = W_0 + \frac{1}{2}mv_{max}^2 …

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