In three to four sentences, explain how the photoelectric effect supports a particle model of electromagnetic radiation.

Question

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 demonstrates that electromagnetic radiation can behave as individual particles, called photons, which interact with matter on a one-to-one basis. This supports the particle model of electromagnetic radiation by showing that light is quantized into discrete packets of energy. The photoelectric effect also shows that the energy of the ejected electrons is dependent on the frequency of the incident radiation, not its intensity, which contradicts the wave model's prediction that energy should be proportional to intensity. This highlights that the wave model is inadequate in explaining the interaction of light with matter at the atomic level.