- #1
MarkFarrell82
- 16
- 0
Hi everyone,
I've been reading bits about the photoelectric effect, about how when you shine a light on a strip of metal its spits out electrons etc. What do they mean by spits out electrons? Is it that it actually spits the electrons out? If so where do they go?
The book I'm reading uses the example of automatic supermarket doors. The only way i can make sense of it is that the photons hit the electons in the metal and that sets off a current within the metal. Therefore the photons are creating a kind of voltage to make the current flow. If someone disturbs the beam of light it stops the photons hitting the electrons and so cuts the current. Once the current stops it triggers the doors to open.
Is that right or am I way off the mark? I don't get the spitting of electrons. I can understand it if it means it pushes the electrons along within the metal creating a current but not if its literally spitting the electrons out which is what the statement implies to me.
I do admit I'm no genius and new to trying to understand the world we live in so it doesn't take much to confuse me and make me ask lots of potentially stupid and straight forward questions.
Hope someone can help lift the mist for me.
Mark
I've been reading bits about the photoelectric effect, about how when you shine a light on a strip of metal its spits out electrons etc. What do they mean by spits out electrons? Is it that it actually spits the electrons out? If so where do they go?
The book I'm reading uses the example of automatic supermarket doors. The only way i can make sense of it is that the photons hit the electons in the metal and that sets off a current within the metal. Therefore the photons are creating a kind of voltage to make the current flow. If someone disturbs the beam of light it stops the photons hitting the electrons and so cuts the current. Once the current stops it triggers the doors to open.
Is that right or am I way off the mark? I don't get the spitting of electrons. I can understand it if it means it pushes the electrons along within the metal creating a current but not if its literally spitting the electrons out which is what the statement implies to me.
I do admit I'm no genius and new to trying to understand the world we live in so it doesn't take much to confuse me and make me ask lots of potentially stupid and straight forward questions.
Hope someone can help lift the mist for me.
Mark