The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material when it is exposed to light of a certain frequency.
points in physics regarding the photoelectric effect:
- Discovered by Hertz and later explained by Einstein
- Light is seen as photons with energy, rather than a wave
- Only occurs with light of high enough frequency
- Electrons are emitted with a specific maximum kinetic energy
- The photoelectric effect led to the development of quantum mechanics.