Intensity of Light and Wavelength

[Lorena Zhang 4E]

In the class, Dr. Lavelle talks about how increasing the intensity of light would increase the number of photons. I am little confused about the concept of light intensity. Is it related to the amplitude of wavelength? Does increasing/decreasing the amplitude of wavelength result to the increase/decrease of the light intensity, and therefore increase/decrease the number of photons?

[ThomasLai1D]

In the wave model of light, increased intensity relates to increased amplitude of the wave. However, in the photoelectric model of light, increased intensity of light means an increase in the number of photons. So yes, increasing/decreasing amplitude of wavelength results in the increase/decrease of light intensity in the wave model, which results in the increase/decrease of the number of photons in the photoelectric model of light.

[Laura Gong 3H]

It's also important to note that increasing the intensity (or number of photons) of a particular wavelength to increase the number of electrons ejected a particular metal only works when the frequency of the wavelength is already high enough to eject electrons. Otherwise, increasing the intensity of a wavelength whose frequency is lower and cannot eject electrons from a particular metal still doesn't eject any electrons from the metal.

[ariellasarkissian_3H]

Amplitude is proportional with the intensity of the wave. If a wave has a higher amplitude it is more intense, and if it has a lower amplitude it is less intense.