Lyman Series (Solution)
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 ionization is 13.6 eV, so the series limit for the Lyman series approaches this energy. The lowest energy transition in the Lyman series is 10.2 eV. Thus, the Lyman series transitions lie in the energy range 10.2 to 13.6 eV. Using the conversion factor from eV to ergs, this corresponds to a range in energy of 1.63 x 10-11 to 2.18 x 10-11 ergs.
The corresponding wavelengths are obtained by taking the product of the speed of light and Planck's constant and dividing that by the energy. They lie in the range 1.22 x 10-5 to 9.12 x 10-6 cm, which is in the UV part of the spectrum. Thus, the Lyman series corresponds to emission or absorption of UV radiation.