Changes

Jump to navigation Jump to search
37 bytes added ,  03:55, January 25, 2015
m
→‎Works: expanded reference
Line 23: Line 23:  
Einstein also published a heuristic explanation of the photoelectric effect in which light has particle like properties as well as wave like properties. According to Maxwell's equations, light is a wave so one might expect that increasing the intensity of light should increase the number of electrons emitted from metal. The German physicist Lénard did an experiment proving that this was not true. Einstein argued that the experiment was consistent with [[Max Planck]]'s hypothesis that light is quantized and different particles of light or photons have different frequencies. Therefore, increasing the intensity of low frequency photons has no effect, while using a higher (blue or ultra violet) frequency of light does cause more electrons to be emitted. The formula Einstein used to explain this was Planck's formula e = hf, where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency.<ref>Davis, Warren, PhD. (2008 or before).  [http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae24.cfm?CFID=8792067&CFTOKEN=36662276 "What is the photoelectric effect?"]  PhysLink.com.  Retrieved on January 24, 2015.</ref>
 
Einstein also published a heuristic explanation of the photoelectric effect in which light has particle like properties as well as wave like properties. According to Maxwell's equations, light is a wave so one might expect that increasing the intensity of light should increase the number of electrons emitted from metal. The German physicist Lénard did an experiment proving that this was not true. Einstein argued that the experiment was consistent with [[Max Planck]]'s hypothesis that light is quantized and different particles of light or photons have different frequencies. Therefore, increasing the intensity of low frequency photons has no effect, while using a higher (blue or ultra violet) frequency of light does cause more electrons to be emitted. The formula Einstein used to explain this was Planck's formula e = hf, where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency.<ref>Davis, Warren, PhD. (2008 or before).  [http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae24.cfm?CFID=8792067&CFTOKEN=36662276 "What is the photoelectric effect?"]  PhysLink.com.  Retrieved on January 24, 2015.</ref>
   −
Although Einstein won a Nobel Prize for explaining the photoelectric effect, Lénard was critical of his accomplishments.<ref>Richard J. Evans, The Third Reich in Power, pages 306-309</ref> Planck and Lénard had already received Nobel Prizes for related work explaining the photoelectric effect.
+
Although Einstein won a Nobel Prize for explaining the photoelectric effect, Lénard was critical of his accomplishments.<ref>Evans, Richard J. (2005).  ''The Third Reich in Power'' (London:  Penguin Books), pp. 306-309.</ref> Planck and Lénard had already received Nobel Prizes for related work explaining the photoelectric effect.
    
Einstein also recognized the value in work done by the physicist Bose when others did not, and helped Bose publish what is now referred to as Bose-Einstein statistics. A simplified explanation is that the statistics for bosons (including light) are different from the statistics for fermions which make up solid matter in that there is no way to tag or differentiate one boson from another for statistical comparisons.
 
Einstein also recognized the value in work done by the physicist Bose when others did not, and helped Bose publish what is now referred to as Bose-Einstein statistics. A simplified explanation is that the statistics for bosons (including light) are different from the statistics for fermions which make up solid matter in that there is no way to tag or differentiate one boson from another for statistical comparisons.
Block, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, edit, rollback
14,697

edits

Navigation menu