NEETPhysicsDual Nature of Matter
In a photoelectric experiment, a student plots the saturation photocurrent ( I ) and the magnitude of the stopping potential ( |V| ) as functions of time ( t ). The graph of I versus t is a horizontal straight line with a positive intercept, while the graph of |V| versus t is a straight line with a positive slope. Based on these observations, which of the following statements about the incident light source is correc
Options
- AThe power of the source is constant, and its frequency is increasing.
- BThe source emits a constant number of photons per second, and its total power is increasing.
- CThe frequency of the source is constant, and its intensity is increasing.
- DThe wavelength of the incident light is increasing, and its intensity is constant.
Correct answer
B. The source emits a constant number of photons per second, and its total power is increasing.
Step-by-step solution
The saturation photocurrent I depends directly on the number of incident photons per unit time ( n ). Since the graph of I versus t is a horizontal line, I is constant, which means n is constant. The stopping potential |V| is given by Einstein's photoelectric equation e|V| = h - . Since the graph of |V| versus t has a positive slope, |V| is increasing over time, which implies the frequency of the incident light is increasing. The total power of the incident light is P = n h . Since n is constant and is increasing,