Scribd
Upload
9 views

Electromagnetic Radiation

Various electromagnetic

Uploaded by

desirejoshua007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
9 views

Electromagnetic Radiation

Various electromagnetic

Uploaded by

desirejoshua007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

1.

1 Electromagnetic Radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy propagation where photons with both particle and
wave like properties travel at the speed of light.

Figure 1:Electromagnetic Spectrum


Electromagnetic radiation consists of packets (quanta) of oscillating electric and magnetic fields
which are perpendicular to one another and travelling in the form of harmonic wave.
Harmonic wave is characterized by properties such as frequency (v), wavelength (λ) and wave
number (v-1). Frequency (v), it is the number of waves passing a point in unit time while
wavelength (λ) distance between two successive crest or troughs.

The relationship between the wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic radiation, with c is
λv=c
In a vacuum, the speed of electromagnetic radiation, c, is the same for all wavelengths,
2.99792458 x 108 m/s which is approx. 3×108 m/s.
Wavenumber (λ-1) is the of reciprocal of wavelength. Units for (λ -1) is m-1 in most cases reported
as cm-1
1 v
=
λ c
Exercise: A green line of wavelength 4.86 x10-7 m is observed in the emission spectrum of
hydrogen. Calculate the energy of this green light in kJ/mol.

The packets of electromagnetic radiation are known as quanta or photons. Each photon has
energy, E, given by:
E=hv
Where h is Planck’s constant =6.6262x10-34 Js

1.2 Photoelectric Effect


The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon that occurs when light shined onto a metal surface
causes the ejection of electrons from that metal. The electrons that are ejected from the metal are
called photoelectrons
It was observed that only certain frequencies of light are able to cause the ejection of electrons.
If the frequency of the incident light is too low (red light, for example), then no electrons were
ejected even if the intensity of the light was very high or it was shone onto the surface for a long
time.
If the frequency of the light was higher (green light, for example), then electrons were able to be
ejected from the metal surface even if the intensity of the light was very low or it was shone for
only a short time. This minimum frequency needed to cause electron ejection is referred to as the
threshold frequency. The energy of radiation corresponding to this frequency is called the
work function.
During photoemission, one photon only interacts with one electron, which is why if the
frequency of the electron is below the threshold frequency then no electron is ejected no matter
the intensity of time of exposure. Also, increasing the intensity only increases the number of
photons thus translates to more electrons being ejected. If the frequency of the incident photon is
increased beyond the threshold frequency, then the extra energy is of the photon is converted to
kinetic energy as the photoelectron gains motions
Energy of photon=work function + Kinetic energy Which gives
1 2
hv=ϕ+ mV
2
where h is Planck’s constant, v is frequency, ϕ is work function, m is mass of photoelectron and
V is velocity of ejected photoelectron
Exercise: The work function of copper metal is ϕ=7.53 x 10-19. If we shine light with a
frequency of 3.0 x 10 16 Hz on the copper metal.
a) Will the photoelectric effect be observed?
b)If photoelectrons are emitted, what is their velocity?

You might also like