Photoelectric Effect


The photoelectric effect describes an event in which an electron absorbs a photon resulting in the electron being ejected away from the atom originally containing the electron. The electron is ejected with the following energy:

E=hv-B.E.

h=Planck's constant=6.626068x10-34m2 kg/s
f=frequency of the light
B.E.=binding energy of the electron

When the electron is ejected, X-rays may be emitted, if the electron was in a low energy level and another electron drops down an energy level to replace it. The Photoelectric Effect can only occur to an electron orbiting a nucleus. Otherwise, conservation of momentum could not be conserved. When the electron is ejected, the nucleus recoils in the opposite direction.
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