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Year 12 Physics Ideas to Implementation

The Photoelectric Effect and Black Body Radiation


The Nature of EM Waves
Outline qualitatively Hertzs experiment in measuring the speed of radio waves and how they relate to light
waves
Background Information
Prior to Hertzs involvement, James Maxwell observed
electric fields could create magnetic fields. And that
magnetic fields could create electric fields. From this he
concluded that EM waves were self-propagating as each
component would create its corresponding component to
allow it to continue to propagate. This produced a then
unknown connection between light and electricity, from
which he produced 4 mathematical equations.
These equations implied:
Light and EM waves were transverse
EM waves travelled at the speed of light
EM waves existed at different frequencies, i.e. there existed a spectrum for electromagnetic waves
o At the time only infrared and visible light were known to exist
Hertz Experiments
Heinrich Hertz conducted a series of experiments to confirm Maxwells predictions
#1 - Generated EM waves by oscillating electric charges with an induction coil, producing rapid sparking across a
gap. When a metal ring was held nearby, sparking was observed in the gap. The metal ring acted as a detector,
providing the first experimental evidence for EM waves.
#2 Showed EM waves could be reflected by using a metal mirror, and showed they could be refracted by using a
prism. Proving they behaved similarly to light.
#3 Showed the polarization of the EM wave by using the orientation of the ring. When the ring was
perpendicular to the induction loop gap, no sparking was observed. When it was parallel sparking was at its
strongest. This further linked EM waves to light, which also exhibited aspects of polarization.

Year 12 Physics Ideas to Implementation

#4 Conducted experiment to calculate the speed of the EM wave


Observing the sparking, Hertz was able to calculate the frequency of the EM wave (this was the frequency of the
induction coil.)
He then reflected the wave using a sheet of metal to produce a standing wave. The waves and crests of the initial
wave and reflected waves constructively and destructively interfere to produce a stationary wave pattern.

These areas of constructive interference would appear as larger sparking on the detector ring. Using this
knowledge, he could walk between corresponding nodes to calculate the wavelength, which he found to be 3m,
much longer than that of visible light. These waves were radio waves.
Using the wavelength and frequency data, he found the velocity of the wave to still be equal to the speed of light.
Thus proving light was an EM wave. And that the EM waves formed a spectrum.
Describe Hertzs observation of the effect of a radiowave on a receiver and the photoelectric effect he produced
but failed to investigate
During his experiments, Hertz would enclose the apparatus in a dark glass case to make observations easier.
However upon doing this, he found that the sparking reduced. When the case was gradually removed, and the
detector was directly irradiated by light, he found the sparking increased once more. He had inadvertently
discovered the photoelectric effect.

Year 12 Physics Ideas to Implementation

Black Body Radiation and The UV Catastrophe


Identify Plancks hypothesis that radiation emitted and absorbed by the walls of a black body cavity is
quantised
A black body is an object which perfectly absorbs all radiation that falls onto it. However as
an object gains this energy, its particles will begin to oscillate, re-releasing this energy in
the form of radiation which carries away the energy. However, this energy is not always
able to escape the body, and is reabsorbed by the body, increasing its temperature/energy
and causing a different form of radiation to be emitted.
Experimental data for the emission of black body radiation followed this trend. Showing
the distribution of wavelengths being emitted and the varying intensities they were
emitted. The peaks in the graph however could not be explained.
Attempts to explain it using the classical theory caused the UV catastrophe. The classical
theory of light predicted that as wavelength decreased, frequency increases. And
frequency is analogous to energy, so therefore as frequency increased to an infinitely large
value, energy would also increase to an infinitely large value. This violates the Law of
Conservation of Energy.
Max Planck solved this idea by introducing this concept of Quantisation. He suggested energy
must always be released in discrete packets called quanta, giving the formula.
=
= ()
= (6.63 1034 1 )
= ()
When energy/radiation is emitted by a body, it must contain that a completely multiple of
that energy. This explains why certain frequencies are not emitted, not enough energy within
the body to release radiation of that frequency. At higher temperatures, the extra energy
allows for higher frequency radiation, also explaining the colour observed when an object is
heated.
Examples
1. Calculate the energy of an ultraviolet light photo with a wavelength of 3x10-7m?
=
=

6.63 1034 3 108


=
= 6.63 1019
3 107
2.

A beam of monochromatic light falls onto a cold, perfect black body and imparts 0.1mW of power to it. If the wavelength of
the light is 5x10-7m, calculate:
A) The frequency of the light
=

=
= 6 1014
5 107
B) The energy per photon for the light
= = 6.63 1034 6 1014 = 3.978 1019

C)

The number of photons per second striking the black body


0.1 = 0.1 103 = 0.0001/
0.0001
. =
= 2.5 1014 /
3.978 1019

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