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III Long Answer Questions · Q8

Q.Obtain Einstein's photoelectric equation with necessary explanation.

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Step 1. When a photon of energy hνh\nu strikes a metal surface, it is completely absorbed by a single electron (not spread over many electrons, as wave theory would assume).

Step 2. Part of this absorbed energy, equal to the metal's work function ϕ0\phi_0, is used to eject the electron from the metal surface; the remainder becomes the electron's kinetic energy.

Step 3. By conservation of energy, hν=ϕ0+12mv2h\nu=\phi_0+\tfrac12mv^2, where vv is the ejected electron's speed.

Step 4. If the electron loses no energy to internal collisions on its way out, it emerges with the maximum possible kinetic energy Kmax=12mvmax2K_{max}=\tfrac12mv_{max}^2, so the equation rearranges to Kmax=hν−ϕ0K_{max}=h\nu-\phi_0 -- Einstein's photoelectric equation. …

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