Question about Energy Threshold

[AGaeta_2C]

What happens to the energy if the light source's energy does not pass the energy threshold?
Thank you in advance :)

[Jesalynne 2F]

I just want to make sure I'm understanding your question :) are you asking what happens if the photon doesn't have enough energy to remove the electron?

[AGaeta_2C]

Yeah! I'm assuming it's absorbed or something just because energy can't be destroyed. But I'm curious to know how the energy is converted.

[Jesalynne 2F]

The energy threshold won’t be enough to create the photoelectric effect but the energy will be conserved. The energy might be reabsorbed or refracted.

[Lauren Tanaka 1A]

If the light source's energy does not pass the energy threshold the electrons won't be ejected since E(Photon) is less than the threshold energy. If the E(Photon) and the threshold energy are equal then the electron will be released but will have no kinetic energy.

[Nyari Muchaka_Discussion 4A]

The electron only jumps orbitals if the energy of the photon reaches the energy threshold(exactly how much energy is required to excite the electron), or is greater than the energy threshold. Increasing the intensity or wavelength of light will not result in the electron being excited because these elements alter the number of a photon hitting the electron, but not the energy of the photon itself. In order to excite the electron, the frequency in which the wave hits the electron would have to be increased. That being said, if the energy threshold is not reached the energy will not just disappear(first law of thermodynamic energy is always conserved), it may be absorbed by the electron or refracted.

[Katherine Brenner 3H]

If there is not enough energy to bounce the electron off the metal surface, then the photoelectric effect will not happen.

[Caroline Zepecki]

If the energy isn't enough to pass the threshold, the photon won't be able to remove electrons. The energy of the photon needs to be greater than the energy of the electron to remove it.