Photo electric effect relate to determining the charge of an electron?

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the photoelectric effect and the determination of the charge of an electron. Participants explore the principles of the photoelectric effect and its implications for measuring charge.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the mechanics of the photoelectric effect and its formula, questioning its relevance to charge determination. Some express uncertainty about applying the photoelectric effect to calculate the charge of an electron, while others reference the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment as a classical method for this measurement.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants sharing different perspectives on the relationship between the photoelectric effect and charge determination. Some guidance is provided regarding the classical methods for measuring charge, but no consensus has been reached on the connection to the photoelectric effect.

Contextual Notes

There are mentions of potential controversies regarding historical experiments, specifically the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment, which may influence the discussion on the reliability of charge measurements.

Kristine
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
how does the photo electric effect relate to determining the charge of an electron?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I'm not sure that it does.

The photoelectric effect is where incident photons have sufficient energy to knock electrons out of their captured state - ie ionise the material. Charge is irrelevant here.
 
If we apply formula for Photoelectric effect i.e.

[tex]k_{max}=E_{photon}-\phi(work function of metal)[/tex]

now if we are able to stop the fastest moving electron with cuttoff voltage such that [tex]eV_0 = K_{max}[/tex]
so we can calculate e from above equation

But I'm not sure whether this is applied for charge calculation
 
Last edited:
The classic experiment for determination of electron charge is the Milliken Oil Drop Experiment. Or, as I call it, the Milliken Eye-strain Experiment.

Njorl
 
Yes its true classical method was developed by Milikan

But i read somewhere that he manipulated with his readings , is there any controversy
 

Similar threads

Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
18
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K