Photoelectric Effect

Photoelectric Effect Objectives: • To be able to explain how the photoelectric effect experiment works and why a photon model of light is necessary to explain the results. • To study the effect of intensity of light on photoelectric experiment. • To estimate the Planck’s constant, h through the simulation. • To be determine how to calculate the wavelength of light, the work function of the metal, or the stopping potential, if given the other two. Beginning with the plate made of sodium. Keep all the parameters constant except for the colour (wavelength) of the light and display all the graphs available. 1. Have the light source turned on at very low intensity and battery set to ZERO volts. Vary the wavelength of the light source (from Infra Red to Ultra Violet) until electrons just begin to be ejected from the sodium surface. State the wavelength and note the speed of the electrons. What is the corresponding frequency of the electromagnetic wave? Why is it called threshold frequency? Intensity is set at 1%. Wavelength = 370-395nm, energy = 1eV, speed of electrons = of different speed, some fast and some slow. The corresponding frequency will be 7.59  1014 Hz – 8.11  1014 Hz. It is called threshold frequency because it is the minimum frequency needed in order for the photoelectric to take place. 2. Repeat the instruction 1 above but allow the light to shine on the metal for a longer time before the wavelength is varied. Is your finding different as found in 1? Justify your finding. Yes, wavelength = 400nm (longer). The longer the light shines on the metal, the more photons to give energy to the electrons in the metal. 3. Repeat the instruction 1 above again but vary the intensity of light this time. Is your finding different as found in 1 and 2? Yes. The wavelength becomes longer (about 540 nm). 4. As you shorten the wavelength of the light source, what change did you notice about electron speed? Explain the possible cause of the change. The electron speeds increases as high energy is transferred to the electrons, 5. Tabulate the wavelength required to just start a current flow for the 6 available surfaces. (Note: Be sure battery voltage is set to zero.) intensity is set for 5% Surface Wavelength (nm) Surface Wavelength (nm) Sodium 491 Platinum 185 Zinc 270 Calcium 397 Copper 248 ????? 312 6. Arrange the surfaces in the order of the least to the most optically sensitive. Platinum, copper, zinc, ??????, calcium, sodium. 7. What is the probable composition of the unknown surface? Any material which work function in between Ca & Zn (Mg, Th, Gd, Li, Ce, Sm, Nd, Sc). 8. Adjust the battery to +8.00 V and shine a 400 nm bright light (intensity = 100%) on a sodium surface. Elaborate the changes on the electrons as you reduce the voltage of the battery from +8.00 V to -8.00 V. The electrons move very fast to the collector at first. At about -0.20V, electrons show deceleration generally and some of the electrons start moving back into the sodium surface. At -0.80V, all the electrons move back towards the sodium surface before barely reaching the collector. 9. What are the variations in observation as the wavelength decreases? The wavelength decreases, the stopping voltage becomes more negative. 10. State the stopping potential of the surfaces of sodium and calcium with the same settings as in instruction 8. Surface Stopping Potential (V) Sodium -0.80 Calcium -0.20 11. Compute the maximum kinetic energy of electrons of 400 nm bright light for the sodium and calcium surfaces based on the data obtained in instructions 8 and 10. Surface Calculation Maximum K.E. Sodium KEmax = eV 1.3  10-19 ms-1 Calcium 3.2  10-20 ms-1 12. Set the graph to display and vary the frequency of light. Based on the graph of electron energy versus light frequency obtained for sodium target, estimate the value of the Planck’s constant. Find the percentage of discrepancy between the value obtained and the actual value as well. For f = 1.5  1015 Hz, electron energy = 4 eV  4 eV = h(1.5  1015) + Wo ----- (a) For f = 3.0  1015 Hz, electron energy = 10 eV  10 eV = h(3.0  1015) + Wo ----- (b) 15 (b) – (a) : 1.5  10 h = 6 eV h = 6.4  10-34 Js 6.626 − 6.4  10 −34 = 3.41% Percentage of discrepancy = 6.626  10 −34 13. What can you conclude from this experiment? Photoemission depends on the wavelength/frequency of the light source, of which the shorter wavelength the higher energy of electrons emitted with a threshold of frequency which is different for different materials. The increase in intensity will slightly increase the wavelength required for photoelectric emission and thus increase the current in the circuit. Stopping voltage does not depend on the intensity of the incident light. The relation between frequency of light, f and the maximum kinetic energy KEmax of the electron and the work function, Wo of a given target can be expressed as hf = KEmax + Wo The estimated value of Planck’s constant, h is 6.4  10-34 Js which is 3.41% smaller than the actual value.