 | TEACHERSí NOTES FOR THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT VIRTUAL LAB |
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PHILOSOPHY
This website and software were developed with the intent that students should be able to explore one of the most intriguing phenomenon of the particle world, the photoelectric effect. The exploration of this effect, at the high school level and sometimes beyond, is often limited to readings and lectures. Indeed, while a given school might be able to afford a teacher demonstration station, the costs of student exploration of the complexities of the phenomenon are generally prohibitive. With a firm belief in the power of well-organized, exploratory activities, this software was developed to provide students with a virtual laboratory centered on the photoelectric effect. While nothing can convey the true nature of science as well as an actual experience, this virtual lab will allow students to explore the photoelectric effect in a meaningful and memorable way. It is the hope of the creators of this website that you and your students may profit from this experience to such an extent that all students will be able to fully describe the mechanism that is responsible for the photoelectric effect.
What follows are a sample lesson plan (a 90-minute lesson or two 45-minute periods), an explanation of the phenomenon, a short discussion of physics approximations involved and a brief annotated bibliography. While you are welcome to use any or all of the information below to prepare your lessons or to provide to your students, it is recommended that you allow the students the opportunity to discover, for themselves, the deficiency of the wave model of light. In the wake of this discovery, encourage students to nominate another model that could fully explain the interaction of light with electrons.
After you have explored the links in the navigation bar, click here to download the Virtual Lab.