Final answer:
Albert Einstein used the equation E = hν to describe the photoelectric effect, where E is the energy of a photon, h is Planck's constant, and ν is the frequency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation used by Albert Einstein to explain the photoelectric effect is E = hν, where E represents the energy, h is Planck's constant, and ν is the frequency of the light.
Planck's constant is a fundamental constant of nature, with a value of 6.626 × 10-34 joule-seconds (J·s). The energy of a photon is directly proportional to the frequency of the light. Higher-frequency light results in photons with greater energy, and this energy is required to eject electrons from a metal surface during the photoelectric effect. The formula highlights the quantized nature of electromagnetic radiation and how it interacts with matter.