Intensity in Photoelectric Effect

[AChoudhry_1L]

How does intensity play a role in the photoelectric effect?

[Rory Simpson 2F]

For the photoelectric effect, if the energy of the photons is not enough to pass the threshold energy, then electrons won't be ejected regardless of intensity. This is important because it goes against the wave model since electrons wouldn't be ejected regardless of intensity, since a wave model would have increasing intensity mean increasing energy.

However, if the energy of the photon is large enough to release electrons, then an increasing intensity of light would increase the number of electrons released ONLY if the energy is enough to overcome the threshold energy.

[Chris Tai 1B]

To build off this, intensity in the wave model is described as the amplitude of the waves. However, it photons are treated like packets of light, then increasing the amplitude of the "waves" will merely increase the number of same-energy level photon packets. The energy of the photons, that is, their frequency, is what is needed to eject electrons, and the intensity/amplitude affects the number of possible electrons that could be ejected.

[WesleyWu_1C]

A simple way I think about the results of the photoelectric experiment is that increasing the intensity only increase the number of photons while increasing the frequency increases the strength/energy per photon.

[805373590]

Electrons will only be emitted if the energy of a photon reaches a certain threshold of energy. Therefore increasing the intensity will have no impact on the energy of the phon and rather the increase in frequency will increase the energy of photon therefore ejecting more electrons. This proves the particle like structure of light.

[ramiro_romero]

Intensity means the number a photons, a higher intensity means a higher number of photons. Unless the threshold frequency is met, electrons will not be emitted regardless of the lights intensity (number of photons). If the threshold frequency is met, increasing intensity will then increase the number of electrons emitted, because a higher number of photons allows for a higher number of electrons to be emitted.

[105289321]

This helped thanks