The stopping potential of photoelectrons depends on

The correct answer is option 2) i.e. ​The frequency of the incident light

CONCEPT:

• Photoelectric effect: The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon where electrons are ejected from a metal surface when the light of sufficient frequency is incident on it. These ejected electrons are called photoelectrons.
  • When a photon falls on the metal surface, the photon’s energy is transferred to the electron.
  • Some part of the energy gets utilized in removing the electron from the metal surface, and the remaining goes into giving kinetic energy for the ejected electron.

Therefore, the total energy of photon = energy utilized to eject an electron + maximum kinetic energy of the electron.

The energy of a photon is given by the equation:

 \(E =hν\).

Where ν is the frequency of incident light and h is the Planck's constant.​

• Stopping potential: The kinetic energy of the ejected electron is the product of the charge of the electron and the voltage difference. The amount of potential required to generate this kinetic energy so as to stop the electrons from being emitted is called the stopping potential.​

EXPLANATION:

• Stopping potential is a measure of the kinetic energy of the electron, which comes from the energy of incident light.
• The energy of incident light is directly proportional to its frequency.
• Hence, the stopping potential of photoelectrons depends on the frequency of incident light.

Confusion Points

• The intensity of light refers to the number of photons per unit area. 
• The greater the intensity of light more will be the number of photons, and as a result, more will be the number of ejected photo-electrons. So, intensity gives a measure of the number of emitted electrons and not the energy of emitted electrons.
• The charge of an electron is fixed and will not vary.