The Balmer Series
The energies in electron-Volts for the first several
levels of the hydrogen atom are given in the following table.
|
n
|
Energy (eV)
|
|
1
|
0.00
|
|
2
|
10.20
|
|
3
|
12.09
|
|
4
|
12.75
|
|
5
|
13.06
|
The energy of a transition is the difference in energies for the initial and
final states.
- Calculate the energies in eV for the first 3 transitions of the Balmer
series.
- Solve the formula for energy in terms of frequency for the frequency and
calculate the frequencies of the 3 transitions.
- Repeat step 3, but for the wavelengths associated with these transitions.
- In what region of the spectrum does each of these transitions come?
HINT: Before calculating the frequency and wavelength,
convert the energy units from eV to ergs. Here are regions of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
The Solution