- #1
physics369
- 11
- 0
A few questions...
1) Does an electron have to have the exact amount of energy to cause excitation, or can it have more (i.e. can the eV of an incoming electron be equal or more than the excitation energy required for excitation of an atom to happen)? If so, does the electron that collided with the atomic electron keep the remaining energy?
2) When electrons have enough energy to excite atoms in a tube, why does the ammeter reading in the circuit decrease slightly? Is it because the electrons carry less KE after the collision and so travel slower?
3) When ionisation occurs near the anode (the metal plate that the electrons are traveling in the direct of), why is there a great increase in current? I thought it might be because there's now two sets of electrons traveling through the anode (the electrons that made the collision, and the electrons that were forced free from the gas atoms) or maybe because the liberated electrons are highly energized from the ionisation so they travel faster?
Any help would be appreciated!
1) Does an electron have to have the exact amount of energy to cause excitation, or can it have more (i.e. can the eV of an incoming electron be equal or more than the excitation energy required for excitation of an atom to happen)? If so, does the electron that collided with the atomic electron keep the remaining energy?
2) When electrons have enough energy to excite atoms in a tube, why does the ammeter reading in the circuit decrease slightly? Is it because the electrons carry less KE after the collision and so travel slower?
3) When ionisation occurs near the anode (the metal plate that the electrons are traveling in the direct of), why is there a great increase in current? I thought it might be because there's now two sets of electrons traveling through the anode (the electrons that made the collision, and the electrons that were forced free from the gas atoms) or maybe because the liberated electrons are highly energized from the ionisation so they travel faster?
Any help would be appreciated!