Senior High School

General Physics 2
Quarter 4 - Module 6
Photoelectric Effect
General Physics 2 - Grade 12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 4 - Module 6: Photoelectric Effect
First Edition, 2020

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 Senior High School

General Physics 2
Quarter 4 - Module 6
Photoelectric Effect
 Table of Contents

Cover Page i
Copyright Page ii
Title Page iii
Table of Contents iv
What This Module Is About v
How to Learn from this Module v
What I Need to Know vi
What I Know (Pre-assessment) vii

Lesson 1 – Photoelectric Effect 1

What’s In 1
What’s New 1
What Is It 2
What’s More 2
What I Have Learned 2
What I Can Do 3

Lesson 2 – Photon Energies and the Electromagnetic Spectrum 4

What’s In 4
What’s New 4
What Is It 5
What’s More 6
What I Have Learned 7

Assessment (Post-assessment) 14
Answer Key 17
References 18

What This Module is About

Introductory Message

Welcome to the General Physics 2 – Grade 12 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Module on Photoelectric Effect

This module was collaboratively designed, developed, and reviewed by educators

from public schools to assis0t you, the teacher or facilitator, the parents, and the learners, in
helping them meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their
personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

For the facilitator:

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You
also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their own
learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do the
tasks included in this module.

For the parents:

As vital partners in education, your support to your children’s learning at home is a

great factor to ensure that they will become succesful in what they do. As a parent, you are
expected to monitor your child’s progress while they are accomplishing the tasks in this
module, at the same time, ensuring that they learn independently.

The objectives set for this learning material will be certainly accomplished with your
steadfast guidance and support.

For the learner:

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their needs and
circumstances.

Furthermore, it is our objective that you will have fun while going through this material.
Take charge of your learning pace and in no time, you will successfully meet the targets and
objectives set in this module which are intended for your ultimate development as a learner
and as a person.

How to Learn from this Module

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

This part contains learning objectives that are

What I Need to Know
set for you to learn as you go along the module.
This is an assessment as to your level of
What I Know knowledge to the subject matter at hand, meant
specifically to gauge prior related knowledge.

This part connects previous lesson with that of

What’s In
the current one.

This part is an introduction of the new lesson

What’s New through various activities, before it will be
presented to you.
 These are discussions of the activities as a way
What is It to deepen your discovery and understanding of
the concept.
These are follow-up activities that are intended
What’s More for you to practice further in order to master the
competencies.

These are activities designed to process what

What I Have Learned
you have learned from the lesson.

These are tasks that are designed to showcase

What I Can Do your skills and knowledge gained, and applied
into real-life concerns and situations.
This is a task which aims to evaluate your level
Assessment of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.
In this portion, another activity will be given to
you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
Additional Activities
lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key
module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the module.
Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities included
in the module.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
7. If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to
consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not alone.
8. We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain
deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it.

What I Need To Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you learn
about video provides a powerful way to help you prove your point. When you click Online
Video, you can paste in the embed code for the video you want to add. You can also type a
keyword to search online for the video that best fits your document.
To make your document look professionally produced, Word provides header, footer,
cover page, and text box designs that complement each other. For example, you can add a
matching cover page, header, and sidebar. Click Insert and then choose the elements you
want from the different galleries.

The module is divided into three lessons, namely:

• Lesson 1 – Photoelectric Effect
• Lesson 2 – Photon Energies and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. Explain the photoelectric effect using the idea of light quanta or photons
(STEM_GP12MPIVh-45)
2. Explain qualitatively the properties of atomic emission and absorption spectra using the
concept of energy levels (STEM_GP12MPIVh-46)
3. Calculating radioisotope activity using the concept of half-time (STEM_GP12MPIVh-i-47)

What I Know

A. TRUE OR FALSE: Write T, if the statement is true and F, if the statement is false.
1. The KE of emitted electrons depends on the frequency, not the number of photons.
2. The radiation energy is proportional to the wavelength.
3. The KE of photoelectrons emitted by a photo-sensitive surface depends on the
intensity of radiation.
4. Photoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which electrically charged particles are
released from or within a material when it absorbs electromagnetic radiation.
5. All EM radiation is composed of photons.
6. Gamma rays can have the lowest frequency.

Lesson Photoelectric Effect

1

What’s In

In the past lesson, you learned about relativity. Relativity is the study of how different
observers measure the same event. Einstein developed the modern theory of relativity.
Modern relativity is divided into two parts:
• Special relativity that deals with observers who are moving at constant velocity.
• General relativity that deals with observers who are undergoing acceleration.

What’s New

In this lesson, you will learn about the concept of Photoelectric Effect. Before
immersing into the very core of this lesson, answer the following activity.
Rearrange the letters in each following items in order to form words that are related to
Photoelectric Effect.

1. NOTHOP - _______________
2. EECMEIGCANTORTL CPTMSURE - _______________
3. TOIOINZNIA - _______________
4. AITANODRI - ________________

What is It
When light strikes materials, it can eject electrons from them. This is called the
photoelectric effect, meaning that light (photo) produces electricity. If you direct a beam of
light of short enough wavelength onto a clean metal surface, the light will cause electrons to
leave that surface (the light will eject the electrons from the surface). This photoelectric effect
is used in many devices, including TV cameras, camcorders, and night vision viewers. Einstein
supported his photon concept by using it to explain this effect, which simply cannot be
understood without quantum physics.
What is really important about the photoelectric effect is what Albert Einstein deduced
from it. Einstein realized that there were several characteristics of the photoelectric effect that
could be explained only if EM (Electromagnetic) radiation is itself quantized: the apparently
continuous stream of energy in an EM wave is actually composed of energy quanta called
photons. In his explanation of the photoelectric effect, Einstein defined a quantized unit or
quantum of EM energy, which we now call a photon, with an energy proportional to the
frequency of EM radiation. In equation from, the photon energy is:
E = hf
Where E is the energy of a photon of frequency f and h is Planck’s constant. This
revolutionary idea looks similar to Planck’s quantization of energy states in blackbody
oscillators, but it is quite different. It is the quantization of EM radiation itself. EM waves are
composed of photons and are not continuous smooth waves as described in previous chapters
on optics. Their energy is absorbed and emitted in lumps, not continuously. This is exactly
consistent with Planck’s quantization of energy levels in blackbody oscillators, since these
oscillators increase and decrease their energy in steps of hf by absorbing and emitting photons
having E = hf. We do not observe this with our eyes, because there are so many photons in
common light sources that individual photons go unnoticed.

Figure 1
Photo retrieved from www.open.umn.edu.ph/university_physics
The photoelectric effect has the properties discussed below. All these properties are
consistent with the idea that individual photons of EM radiation are absorbed by individual
electrons in a material, with the electron gaining the photon’s energy. Some of these properties
are inconsistent with the idea that EM radiation is a simple wave. For simplicity, let us consider
what happens with monochromatic EM radiation in which all photons have the same energy
hf.
 The photoelectric effect has the properties discussed below. All these properties are
consistent with the idea that individual photons of EM radiation are absorbed by individual
electrons in a material, with the electron gaining the photon’s energy. Some of these properties
are inconsistent with the idea that EM radiation is a simple wave. For simplicity, let us consider
what happens with monochromatic EM radiation in which all photons have the same energy
hf.

1. If we vary the frequency of the EM radiation falling on a material, we find the following: For
a given material, there is a threshold frequency for the EM radiation below which no electrons
are ejected, regardless of intensity. Individual photons interact with individual electrons. Thus
if the photon energy is too small to break an electron away, no electrons will be ejected. If EM
radiation was a simple wave, sufficient energy could be obtained by increasing the intensity.
2. Once EM radiation falls on a material, electrons are ejected without delay. As soon as an
individual photon of a sufficiently high frequency is absorbed by an individual electron, the
electron is ejected. If the EM radiation were a simple wave, several minutes would be required
for sufficient energy to be deposited to the metal surface to eject an electron.
3. The number of electrons ejected per unit time is proportional to the intensity of the EM
radiation and to no other characteristic. High-intensity EM radiation consists of large numbers
of photons per unit area, with all photons having the same characteristic energy.
4. If we vary the intensity of the EM radiation and measure the energy of ejected electrons, we
find the following: The maximum kinetic energy of ejected electrons is independent of the
intensity of the EM radiation. Since there are so many electrons in a material, it is extremely
unlikely that two photons will interact with the same electron at the same time, thereby
increasing the energy given it. Instead (as noted in 3 above), increased intensity results in
more electrons of the same energy being ejected. If EM radiation were a simple wave, a higher
intensity could give more energy, and higherenergy electrons would be ejected.
5. The kinetic energy of an ejected electron equals the photon energy minus the binding
energy of the electron in the specific material. An individual photon can give all of its energy
to an electron. The photon’s energy is partly used to break the electron away from the material.
The remainder goes into the ejected electron’s kinetic energy. In equation form, this is given
by
KEe = hf – BE
Where KEe is the maximum kinetic energy of the ejected electron, hf is the photon’s
energy, and BE is the binding energy of the electron to the particular material. This equation,
due to Einstein in 1905, explains the properties of the photoelectric effect quantitatively. An
individual photon of EM radiation (it does not come any other way) interacts with an individual
electron, supplying enough energy, BE, to break it away, with the remainder going to kinetic
energy. The binding energy is BE = hf0, where f0 is the threshold frequency for the particular
material. Figure 2 shows the graph of maximum KEe versus the frequency of incident EM
radiation falling on a particular material.
 Figure 2
Photo retrieved from www.open.umn.edu.ph/university_physics

Einstein’s idea that EM radiation is quantized was crucial to the beginnings of quantum
mechanics. It is a far more general concept than its explanation of the photoelectric effect
might imply. All EM radiation can also be modeled in the form of photons, and the
characteristics of EM radiation are entirely consistent with this fact. (As we will see in the next
section, many aspects of EM radiation, such as the hazards of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, can
be explained only by photon properties.) More famous for modern relativity, Einstein planted
an important seed for quantum mechanics in 1905, the same year he published his first paper
on special relativity. His explanation of the photoelectric effect was the basis for the Nobel
Prize awarded to him in 1921. Although his other contributions to theoretical physics were also
noted in that award, special and general relativity were not fully recognized in spite of having
been partially verified by experiment by 1921. Although hero-worshipped, this great man never
received Nobel recognition for his most famous work—relativity.

What’s More
Answer the following questions:
1. In your own words, discuss the photoelectric effect.

What I Have Learned

Answer the following questions:

1. Is the photoelectric effect a consequence of the wave character of radiation or is it a

consequence of the particle character of radiation? Explain briefly.

Lesson Photon Energies and the Electromagnetic

2 Spectrum

What’s In

In the past lesson, you learned about the Photoelectric Effect.

What’s New

In this lesson, you will learn about the Photon Energies and the Electromagnetic
Spectrum.
 What is It
Ionization Radiation

A photon is a quantum of EM radiation. Its energy is given by E = hf and is related to

the frequency f and wavelength λ of the radiation by

where E is the energy of a single photon and c is the speed of light. When working with
small systems, energy in eV is often useful. Note that Planck’s constant in these units is
h = 4.14 x 10-15 eV · s
Since many wavelengths are stated in nanometers (nm), it is also useful to know that
hc = 1240 eV · nm
These will make many calculations a little easier.
All EM radiation is composed of photons. Figure 3 shows various divisions of the EM spectrum
plotted against wavelength, frequency, and photon energy. It is noted that these types of EM
radiation have characteristics much different than visible light. We can now see that such
properties arise because photon energy is larger at high frequencies.

Figure 2
Photo retrieved from www.open.umn.edu.ph/university_physics

Calculating Photon Energy and the Photoelectric Effect: A Violet Light

Example 1
a. What is the energy in joules and electron volts of a photon of 420-nm violet light?
b. What is the maximum kinetic energy of electrons ejected from calcium by 420-nm violet
light, given that the binding energy (or work function) of electrons for calcium metal is 2.71
eV?

Strategy
To solve part (a), note that the energy of a photon is given by E=hf.

For part (b), once the energy of the photon is calculated, it is a straightforward application of
KEe=hf – BE to find the ejected electron’s maximum kinetic energy, since BE is given.

Solution for (a)

Photon energy is given by

E = hf
Since we are given the wavelength rather than the frequency, we solve the familiar
relationship c = fλ for the frequency, yielding

Combining these two equations gives the useful relationship

Now substituting known values yields

Converting to eV, the energy of the photon is

Solution for (b)

Finding the kinetic energy of the ejected electron is now a simple application of the equation
KEe= hf – BE. Substituting the photon energy and the binding energy yields.

The energy of this 420-nm photon of violet light is a tiny fraction of a joule, and so it is no
wonder that a single photon would be difficult for us to sense directly-humans are more attuned
to energies on the order of joules. But looking at the energy in electron volts, We can see that
this photon has enough energy to affect atoms and molecules. A DNA molecule can be broken
with about 1 eV of energy, for example, and typical atomic and molecular energies are on the
order of eV, so that the UV photon in the example could have biological effects. The ejected
electron (called a photoelectron) has a rather low energy, and it would not travel far, except in
a vacuum. The electron would be stopped by a retarding potential of but 0.26 eV. In fact, if the
photon wavelength were longer and its energy less than 2.71 eV, then the formula would give
a negative kinetic energy, an impossibility. This simply means that the 420-nm photons with
their 2.96-eV energy are not much above the frequency threshold. You can show for yourself
that the threshold wavelength is 459 nm (blue light). This means that if calcium metal is used
in a light meter, the meter will be insensitive to wavelengths longer than those of blue light.
Such a light meter would be completely insensitive to red light, for example.
 What’s More

1. Light strikes a sodium surface, causing photoelectric emission. The stopping

potential for the ejected electrons is 5.0 V, and the work function of sodium is 2.2 eV. What is
the wavelength of the incidental light?

What I Have Learned

Answer the following questions:

1. For the same monochromatic light source, would the photoelectric effect occur for
all metals?

Assessment

TRUE OR FALSE: Write T, if the statement is true and F, if the statement is false.
1. The photoelectric effect is the process that disregards EM radiation that ejects
electrons from a material.
2. Einstein proposed photons to be a quanta of EM radiation having energy E = hf, where
f is the frequency of the photons.
3. A fraction of EM radiation is composed of photons.
4. Photon energy is responsible for many characteristics of EM radiation, being
particularly noticeable at high frequencies.
5. Photons have both wave and particle characteristics.
6. A photon is a quantum of EM radiation.
References

Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny, William Moebs. 2016. Open Textbooks.

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/university-physics-volume-3.

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Office Address: 0050 Lino Chatto Drive, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Telephone Nos.: (038) 412-4938; (038) 411-2544; (038) 501-7550
Telefax: (038) 501-7550
E-mail Address: deped.bohol@deped.gov.ph