Name:
Miah Aponte-Nieves
Date:
1/18
Student Exploration: Photoelectric Effect
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
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?
The ping pong ball would bounce off pins because it is too light to knock the pin down.
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.
Yes, I think this because of the saying 1 pound of feathers is the same as a pound of bricks, if
I can get the weight of the ping pong balls to match the weight of a bowling ball it will be able
to knock it down a pin down.
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 γ/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?
When photons hit the electrons they are dislodged from the metal plate and move to the other
side.
2. What happens when the electrons reach the light bulb?
When the electrons hit the light bulb it glows for a quick moment.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
