In three to four sentences, explain how the photoelectric effect supports a particle model of electromagnetic radiation. As part of your response, evaluate the idea that radiation frequency and intensity highlight how the wave model is inadequate to explain the photoelectric effect

Answer 1

The photoelectric effect supports a particle model of electromagnetic radiation because it shows that light is made up of individual particles called photons. These photons have discrete amounts of energy that are directly related to the frequency of the light. The fact that increasing the intensity of light does not affect the energy of the ejected electrons in the photoelectric effect contradicts the wave model, which suggests that increasing intensity should result in more energy being transferred. This discrepancy highlights the inadequacy of the wave model in explaining the photoelectric effect and provides further evidence for the particle nature of light.