Experimental Study Of Photoelectric Effect

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question relates to the laws of the photoelectric effect. The intensity of light is related to the number of photons incident on a surface per unit area per unit time. The photoelectric current is due to the flow of emitted photoelectrons.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In the quantum picture of light, the intensity of radiation is proportional to the number of photons incident per second. The photoelectric effect is a one-to-one interaction: one incident photon ejects one electron (provided the photon has enough energy, i.e., its frequency is above the threshold frequency). Therefore: - A higher intensity means more photons are hitting the surface per second. - More incident photons will lead to more photoelectrons being ejected per second. - More photoelectrons ejected per second means a larger flow of charge, which constitutes a larger photoelectric current. This establishes a direct proportionality: Intensity of incident radiation Number of photons per second Number of photoelectrons emitted per second Photoelectric current. Let's evaluate the options based on this understanding: 1. Incorrect. The number of photoelectrons depends on the number of photons (intensity), not the energy of each photon (frequency). 2. Incorrect. It's a direct proportionality, not inverse. 3. Correct. As explained above, the number of photoelectrons emitted per second is directly proportional to the intensity of the incident radiation. 4. Incorrect. There is a direct and fundamental relationship.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The photoelectric current being proportional to the number of photoelectrons emitted per second implies that this number is directly proportional to the intensity of the incident radiation.