It is therefore in units of J The higher the work function, the harder it is to release an electron from the surface of the metal Consider the electrons in a metal as trapped inside an ‘energy well' where the energy between the surface and the top of the well is equal to the work function Φ A single electron can absorb only one photon Therefore, an electron can only escape the surface of the metal if it absorbs a photon which has an energy equal to Φ or higher