Physics
Vocabulary: electron volt, frequency, photoelectric effect, photon, photon flux, voltage, wavelength, work function Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo. ) 1. Suppose you went bowling, but instead of a bowling ball you rolled a ping pong ball down the alley. What do you think would happen? 2. Suppose you rolled a lot of ping pong balls at the bowling pins. Do you think that would change the results of your experiment? Explain. Gizmo Warm-up The photoelectric effect occurs when tiny packets of light, called photons, knock electrons away from a metal surface. Only photons with enough energy are able to dislodge electrons. In the Photoelectric Effect Gizmo, check that the Wavelength is 500 nm, the Photon flux is 5 /ms, the Voltage is 0. 0 volts, and Potassium is selected. Click Flash the light to send photons of light (green arrows) toward a metal plate encased in a vacuum tube. 1. The blue dots on the metal plate are electrons. What happens when the photons hit the electrons? 2. What happens when the electrons reach the light bulb? _________________________________________________________________________ When electrons reach the light bulb they complete a circuit, causing the bulb to glow briefly