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#emission lines

4 public questions tagged with this topic.

What does the presence of discrete wavelengths in the hydrogen spectrum indicate?

**Excitation** energy required to go from n=1 to n=3 is 12.09 eV, from ground to n=∞ ionization 13.6 eV, state n=∞ means ionized, electron free with zero energy, highest level reached by electron beam energy determines which levels can be excited, e.g., 11 eV beam from ground can reach n=2 (10.2 eV) but not n=3 (12.09 eV), so max n=2. Discrete wavelengths indicate that electrons transition between specific energy levels, emitting or absorbing photons of fixed energies. Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Bohr Model Energy Levels and Hydrogen Spectrum

What characterizes the emission line spectrum of a hydrogen atom?

**Bohr energy levels** E_n = -13.6/n² eV for hydrogen, negative indicating bound state, total energy = -13.6 eV ground state n=1, -3.4 eV n=2, -1.51 eV n=3, etc., photon energy for transition n_i → n_f is ΔE =13.6(1/n_f² -1/n_i²) eV, wavelength λ = hc/ΔE, h=6.6×10⁻³⁴ J·s, c=3×10⁸ m/s. Emission line spectrum characterized by discrete wavelengths because energy levels discrete. The emission line spectrum consists of bright lines on a dark background, corresponding to specific wavelengths emitted during electron transitions. Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Bohr Model Energy Levels and Hydrogen Spectrum