BELVEDERE TECHNICAL TEACHERS COLLEGE

DE3 POST O PHYSICS ASSIGNMENT 1

TERM 1 2017 Due date 27/01/2017

I hear and I forget, I see and i remember, I do and I understand

1 (a) In a Millikan-type experiment, two horizontal plates are 2.5 cm apart. A latex

15
sphere, of mass 1.5 10 kg , remains stationary when the potential

difference between the plate is 460V with the upper plate positive.

(i) Is the sphere charged negatively or positively? Give reason. [2]

(ii) Calculate the magnitude of the charge on the latex. [3]
(iii) How many excess or deficit electrons does the sphere have? [2]

(b) Two large, horizontal metal plates are separated by 0.05 m. A small plastic

sphere is suspended halfway between them. The sphere experiences an upward

15
Electric force of 4.5 10 N , just sufficient to balance its weight. If the

19
charge on the sphere is 6.4 10 C , calculate the potential difference

between the plates and the mass of the sphere. [5]

(c) An investigator determines the charges on several different oil droplets with
apparatus similar to Millikans and claims that the data in Table 1 are accurate
to the number of digits shown.

Table 1

Oil droplet Charge (C)

a 65.63 x 10-20
b 8.204 x 10-19
c 115.0 x 10-20
d 13.13 x 10-19
e 16.48 x 10-19
f 1.808 x 10-18
g 19.71 x 10-19
h 2.289 x 10-18
 i 26.13 x 10-19

Calculate the value of the elementary charge that can be deduced from these
data? [5]

2 The work function of a metal is 2.0eV. Monochromatic light of wavelength

7
5.0 10 m is used to illuminate the metal.

(a) Define the following terms

(i) work function.

(ii) Photon
(iii) Threshold frequency
(iv) Photoelectric emission. [4]

(b) Calculate

(i) the threshold wavelength, ,

(ii) the maximum kinetic energy of photoelectrons,
(iii) the stopping potential. [6]

16
(c) X rays of frequency 1.53 10 Hz cause the emission of electrons from a

18
material with a maximum kinetic energy of 2.18 10 J. Calculate the

threshold frequency of the release of electrons from the material. [3]