In the Photoelectric effect, Why does increasing the light intensity have no effect on the energy of the electron emitted?

The equation to calculate the energy of an emitted electron is: E = hf - φ, where E is the energy of the electron emitted, is the Planck's constant, f is the frequency of the light and φ is the work function of the metal which is the minimum energy required to emit an electron. Here you can see that nothing is dependant on light intensity because the intensity is essentially the number of photons and does not increase nor decrease the energy of a single photon, therefore has no effect on the energy of an electron emitted. 

If the light has enough energy to emit a photon i.e. has a high enough frequency, then the light intensity will increase the probability of an electron being emitted from the metal.  

PK
Answered by Pankaj K. Physics tutor

22191 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Two identical uniform spheres each of radius R are placed in contact. The gravitational force between them is F. They are then separated until the force between them is one ninth of the magnitude. What is the distance between the surfaces of the spheres?


Find the angle at which total internal refraction takes place when light is going from glass to air.


What is meant by the doppler effect?


Why are values of gravitational potential negative?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning