- #1
jjson775
- 101
- 23
- Homework Statement
- A photon with energy 2.28 eV is barely capable of causing a photoelectric effect on a sodium plate. If the photon instead absorbed by a hydrogen atom, find a) the minimum n for a hydrogen atom that can be ionized by the photon and b) the speed of the released electron.
- Relevant Equations
- 1. En = -13.606/n^2
2. U (r) = -Ke x(e^2/r)
3. rn =n^a0
I got the right answers but have 2 questions. My first attempt was to use Equation 2 and solve for r then use Equation 3 and solve for n. My reasoning was that the photon needed to overcome the potential energy of the atom to release the electron. This gave me n =3.44. Why was I wrong?
Then I reviewed the Bohr atom and saw that Ionization energy to completely release the photoelectron is given by Equation 1 and solved the problem. I got n = 2.44. Since n must be an integer, the correct n must be 3, right?
Then I reviewed the Bohr atom and saw that Ionization energy to completely release the photoelectron is given by Equation 1 and solved the problem. I got n = 2.44. Since n must be an integer, the correct n must be 3, right?