what do you mean by photo-electric effect?

Question

something to do with light i guess

Answer 1

The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from matter upon the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, such as ultraviolet radiation or x-rays. An older term for the photoelectric effect was the Hertz effect, though this phrase has fallen out of current use.

Answer 2

Upon exposing a metallic surface to electromagnetic radiation that is above the threshold frequency (which is specific to the type of surface and material), the photons are absorbed and current is produced. No electrons are emitted for radiation with a frequency below that of the threshold, as the electrons are unable to gain sufficient energy to overcome the electrostatic barrier presented by the termination of the crystalline surface (the material's work function). In 1905 it was known that the energy of the photoelectrons increased with increasing frequency of incident light, but the manner of the increase was not experimentally determined to be linear until 1915 when Robert Andrews Millikan showed that Einstein was correct [3].

By conservation of energy, the energy of the photon is absorbed by the electron and, if sufficient, the electron can escape from the material with a finite kinetic energy. A single photon can only eject a single electron, as the energy of one photon may only be absorbed by one electron. The electrons that are emitted are often termed photoelectrons.

The photoelectric effect helped further wave-particle duality, whereby physical systems (such as photons, in this case) display both wave-like and particle-like properties and behaviours, a concept that was used by the creators of quantum mechanics. The photoelectric effect was explained mathematically by Albert Einstein, who extended the work on quanta developed by Max Planck.

Answer 3

The photoelectric effect is an interaction with a gamma ray and an electron. Gamma ray strikes the electron of an atom on the way past, imparting the electron with enough energy to jump, temporarily, to a higher shell/energy state. However, this is an unstable effect, and the electron eventually drops back down into the correct shell/ring/energy level, and when it does so, it spits out another gamma ray.

This produces a very slight flash of light..if you're having a lot of PEE's, this can cause the object being interacted with to glow.

Answer 4

The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from matter upon the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, such as ultraviolet radiation or x-rays. Lots of these type questions could be answered just by "googling" the subject matter..C'mon, people.

Answer 5

It actually has very little to do with light. As described earlier it can occur when ANY electromagnetic wave hits a substance which then releases electrons. Light (visible light) is a very small portion of the EM spectrum.

Answer 6

The photoelectric effect referes to the emission, or ejection of electrons from the surface of, generally, a metal in response to "incident" light.

Answer 7

Ejection of electrons from a substance by incident electromagnetic radiation, especially by visible light.