Photoelectric Effect and Determination of Plank's Constant
About the experiment
The maximum kinetic energy of electrons ejected from a metal surface by monochromatic light, is measured for several wavelengths. The value of Planck's constant, h, is derived by an analysis of the data according to Einstein's theory of the photoelectric effect.
What you will learn
Preparation
Reviews of photoelectric effect
- Lecture notes on photoelectric effect
- Interactive simulation: Photoelectric Effect @ PhET
Required reading:
Recommended reading:
- 1918 Nobel Prize to Max Planck for his Discovery of the Energy Quanta
- 1921 Nobel Prize to Albert Einstein for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.
- R.A. Millikan, A Direct Photoelectric Determination of Planck's `h'. Phys. Rev., 7, 355 (1916)
- A. Melissinos and J. Napolitano, Experiments in Modern Physics (2nd ed., 2003), 1.1, 1.2, and 8.2
Supplementary materials
