Photoelectric Cells: What Are They and Why Evacuated?

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Photoelectric cells are evacuated to prevent electrons from colliding with gases like oxygen, which could ionize and lead to inaccurate current readings. The absence of gas allows freed electrons, generated when light of a specific frequency strikes the metal, to travel unimpeded toward the positive cathode. This ensures accurate measurements of the current produced by the photoelectric effect, as any collisions with gas molecules could result in no reading at all.
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I was wondering why photoelectric cells are evacuated
 
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Think how they work.
 
Borek said:
Think how they work.

light of a certain frequency hits a metal and frees some electrons, which then travel toward the positive cathode.
 
So far so good. Now think about the "travel towards the cathode part".
 
Borek said:
So far so good. Now think about the "travel towards the cathode part".

is it because the electrons could possibly collide with the oxygen and other electronegative gases, ionizing them and thus giving a smaller reading on the current meter?
 
bael said:
is it because the electrons could possibly collide with the oxygen and other electronegative gases, ionizing them and thus giving a smaller reading on the current meter?

More precisely "giving no reading".
 

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