The discussion revolves around creating a budget-friendly photoelectric effect lab kit for hobbyists, focusing on materials and equipment needed to conduct experiments related to the photoelectric effect, including measuring Planck's constant and stopping potential.
Participants express various viewpoints on the materials needed, particularly regarding the use of zinc and the feasibility of using sunlight versus artificial UV sources. No consensus is reached on the best approach or materials.
Participants discuss the limitations of using sunlight for experiments and the potential challenges in obtaining suitable materials, particularly monochromatic lenses and metals with low work functions.
sophiecentaur said:
It needs to have a low work function but you won't be able to get hold of one of the Alkali Metals (with work functions corresponding to optical frequencies). It's the poor man's option (in a higher group), which just manages to produce photoelectrons with UV. I don't know whether anything else will do, to be honest, but it will have to obtainable and in the right group.EM_Guy said:
UV is absorbed by many glasses so it may be hard to do what you want with the low intensity available from Sunlight. Perhaps, if you went up a mountain??EM_Guy said:
