A photoelectric cell is illuminated by a pointsource of light 1m away....
Explanation:
When the point source of light is shifted from 1m to 2m, the intensity of light falling on the photoelectric cell decreases. This decreases the number of photons incident on the cell and hence the number of electrons emitted from the cell.
The number of electrons emitted from a photoelectric cell is directly proportional to the intensity of incident light. This is given by the photoelectric equation:
I = kNφ
Where I is the photoelectric current, N is the number of incident photons, φ is the work function of the metal and k is a constant.
From this equation, we can see that if the number of incident photons is reduced, the photoelectric current will also reduce.
Therefore, when the point source of light is shifted from 1m to 2m, the number of electrons emitted from the cell will decrease. The exact decrease in the number of electrons can be calculated using the inverse square law of radiation.
According to this law, the intensity of radiation from a point source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. Mathematically,
I ∝ 1/d^2
Where d is the distance from the source.
When the distance is doubled from 1m to 2m, the intensity of radiation will decrease to (1/2)^2 = 1/4th of its original value.
Therefore, the number of electrons emitted from the cell will also decrease to 1/4th of its original value.
Hence, option A is the correct answer.