MHTCET 17 Apr 2026 Shift 2 Paper

Concept:The intensity of incident light determines the number of photons striking the metal per second, while the kinetic energy of photoelectrons depends only on the frequency of radiation.Explanation:In the photoelectric effect, the intensity of light is the number of photons falling per second on the metal surface.When intensity is increased, more photons hit the surface each second.Hence, more photoelectrons are emitted per second from the metal.Since electric current is the rate of flow of charge, an increase in the number of electrons emitted per second causes the photoelectric current to increase.The maximum kinetic energy of emitted photoelectrons is given by Einstein's photoelectric equation:$$K_{\max} = h\nu - \phi$$Here, $\nu$ is the frequency of incident radiation and $\phi$ is the work function of the metal.Because the frequency is kept fixed, the kinetic energy of the emitted photoelectrons remains unchanged.Thus, only the photoelectric current increases when the intensity is increased.Answer:Option A — the photoelectric current increases.