Question

In photoelectric effect, do all the electrons that absorb a photon come out as photoelectrons irrespective of their location? Explain.

Answer 1

A photo electron is produced only when the electron absorbs a single photon with energy greater than or equal to the work function.

The electron after receiving energy may loose energy to the metal due collisions with the atoms of the metal.

So most of the electrons get scattered into the metal.

Only a few electrons near the surface may come out of the surface of the metal for whom the incident energy is greater than the work function of the metal.

So it is not necessary that if the energy supplied to an electron is more than the work function it will come out