Light from the Balmer series of hydrogen is capable of ejecting photoelectrons from a metal. Determine the maximum possible work function of the metal.

Step-by-step solution

The Balmer series of hydrogen corresponds to electron transitions from higher energy levels n 3 to n = 2 . The energy of the emitted photon is given by E = 13.6 ( 1 2^2 - 1 n^2 ) eV . The maximum energy of a photon in the Balmer series is obtained for the transition from n = to n = 2 . E_ max = 13.6 ( 1 4 - 0 ) = 3.4 eV . For the photoelectric effect to occur, the energy of the incident photon must be greater than or equal to the work function of the metal, which implies E_ max . Therefore, the maximum possible wor