Physics

Problem

Monochromatic photons each of energy

5.50\,\text{eV}

strike a metal surface whose work function is

4.00\,\text{eV}

. All emitted electrons may be treated as non-relativistic. Use

e = 1.60\times10^{-19}\,\text{C}

and

m_e = 9.11\times10^{-31}\,\text{kg}

. (a) Calculate the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons in joules. (b) Determine the maximum speed of the emitted electrons. (c) Compare this speed with

0.10\,c

, where

c

is the speed of light, and state whether relativistic effects are expected to be significant for these electrons. Justify your answer quantitatively.

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