When red light is shone on a metal, regardless of the intensity of this light, no current will flow. However if blue light is shone on this metal a current will flow. Why does this occur?

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Answers / Physics / A Level / When red light is shone on a metal, regardless of the intensity of this light, no current will flow. However if blue light is shone on this metal a current will flow. Why does this occur?

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When red light is shone on a metal, regardless of the intensity of this light, no current will flow. However if blue light is shone on this metal a current will flow. Why does this occur?

This problem can be solved by first considering the energy of a photon e = hf. A photon of red light lacks the sufficient energy to free an electron. However a photon of blue light has a higher frequency and thus has a higher energy. This allows for a photon of blue light to free an electron and thus allow for a current to flow when a large number of photons are sent towards the metal.

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When red light is shone on a metal, regardless of the intensity of this light, no current will flow. However if blue light is shone on this metal a current will flow. Why does this occur?

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