Nightclub Analogy
We can think of the photoelectric effect in terms of a full nightclub; let the people going into the club represent the photons, the people leaving the club represent the electrons and money represent the energy.
The club is full so it is one in and one out. The work function equals the entrance fee and is £5:
If you have £3 you don’t have enough to get in so noone is kicked out.
If 50 people arrive with £3 no one has enough, so one gets in and noone is kicked out.
If you have £5 you have enough to get in so someone is kicked out, but you have no money for booze.
If 50 people arrive with £5 you all get in so 50 people are kicked out, but you have no money for booze.
If you have £20 you have enough to get in so someone is kicked out and you have £15 to spend on booze.
If 50 people arrive with £20 you all get in so 50 people are kicked out and you have £15 each to spend on booze.
| Section 2 | Excitation, Ionisation and Energy Levels | |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 11 | ||
| Learning Outcomes | To know how Bohr solved the falling electron problem | |
| To be able to explain what excitation, de-excitation and ionisation are | ||
| To be able to calculate the frequency needed for excitation to a certain level | M.BENYOHAI |