<P> In 1887 , Heinrich Hertz discovered that electrodes illuminated with ultraviolet light create electric sparks more easily . In 1900 , while studying black - body radiation , the German physicist Max Planck suggested that the energy carried by electromagnetic waves could only be released in `` packets '' of energy . In 1905 , Albert Einstein published a paper advancing the hypothesis that light energy is carried in discrete quantized packets to explain experimental data from the photoelectric effect . This model contributed to the development of quantum mechanics . In 1914 , Robert Millikan 's experiment supported Einstein 's model of the photoelectric effect . Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for `` his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect '' , and Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923 for `` his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect '' . </P>
<P> In 1887 , Heinrich Hertz discovered that electrodes illuminated with ultraviolet light create electric sparks more easily . In 1900 , while studying black - body radiation , the German physicist Max Planck suggested that the energy carried by electromagnetic waves could only be released in `` packets '' of energy . In 1905 , Albert Einstein published a paper advancing the hypothesis that light energy is carried in discrete quantized packets to explain experimental data from the photoelectric effect . This model contributed to the development of quantum mechanics . In 1914 , Robert Millikan 's experiment supported Einstein 's model of the photoelectric effect . Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for `` his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect '' , and Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923 for `` his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect '' . </P>
who developed an explanation for the photoelectric effect
who developed an explanation for the photoelectric effect
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein