The solar panels used by mark function because of the photoelectric effect. light shines on the cells causing electrons to be ejected from the metal, which produces an electric current. at night on mars, no light will fall on the solar cells and no electric current will be generated. according to your notes, what type of light is typically needed to cause the photoelectric effect?

The type of light that is typically needed to cause a photoelectric effect would be the light produced in the red to violet wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Light from this wavelengths would have enough amount of energy to be able to produce electricity. Solar cells would work well with the natural sunlight and as well as the artificial light we have like the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs since these light sources mimic the wavelength of the Sun's spectrum. However, it is not recommended since it can only produce a very small amount of electricity which would not be economical.