22.2.3—Photoelectric emission in terms of photon energy and work function energy

A photon ejects an electron if hf≥Φ, where Φ is the work function; any excess becomes the electron’s kinetic energy.

Use Φ as the minimum energy needed to escape the surface and connect it to threshold frequency via Φ=hf₀.

Increasing frequency above threshold increases maximum photoelectron kinetic energy by the excess photon energy.

Work function is not the same as binding energy of every electron in the bulk and does not depend on beam intensity in this model.