9. The number of photoelectrons emitted for light of frequency v (higher than the threshold frequency v₀) is proportional to: (a) Frequency of light (v) (b) v - v₀ (c) Threshold frequency (v₀) (d) Intensity of light
Answer (1)
The question is related to the photoelectric effect, which is a critical concept in physics, particularly in the study of quantum mechanics. The photoelectric effect refers to the emission of electrons (called photoelectrons) from a material when it is exposed to light of a certain frequency.
To understand how the number of photoelectrons emitted is affected, let's break down the concepts involved:
Threshold Frequency v 0 :
This is the minimum frequency of light required to emit photoelectrons from a material.
Frequency of Light v :
This denotes the frequency of the incident light. For photoelectrons to be emitted, v must be greater than v 0 .
Intensity of Light:
Intensity refers to the power per unit area carried by the light.
According to the principles of the photoelectric effect, the number of photoelectrons emitted is not directly proportional to the frequency of light v or the threshold frequency v 0 . Instead, it is proportional to the intensity of the incident light.
Therefore, the correct answer is (d) Intensity of light.
This is because a higher intensity of light provides more photons per unit area, and since each photon can potentially cause the emission of one photoelectron (assuming the frequency condition v_0"> v > v 0 is met), more photons result in more photoelectrons being emitted.
In summary, while the frequency of the light needs to be higher than the threshold frequency to initiate the emission of photoelectrons, the actual number of electrons emitted is dependent on the intensity of the light.
