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Hydrogen spectrum calculator

Give the two energy levels of an electron's jump in the hydrogen atom (or a hydrogen-like ion) and get the energy, wavelength and frequency of the line, its series, and the energy-level diagram - with the Bohr-model working ISC Physics expects.

Try: 3 → 2 (H-alpha)2 → 1 (Lyman)4 → 21 → 3 (absorption)He⁺ 3 → 2

Answer

Wavelength λ
485.3 nm
Energy
2.55 eV
Frequency
6.182 × 1014 Hz
Line
emission, Balmer series

Energy levels

n = ∞0 eVn = 1-13.6 eVn = 2-3.4 eVn = 3-1.511 eVn = 4-0.85 eV

Working

  1. Energy of level n in hydrogen: Eₙ = -13.6 Z²/n² eV, so E4 = -0.85 eV and E2 = -3.4 eV.
  2. ΔE = |E4 - E2| = 2.55 eV = 4.08 × 10-19 J (1 eV = 1.6 × 10-19 J).
  3. λ = hc/ΔE = (6.6 × 10-34 × 3 × 108) / 4.08 × 10-19 = 4.853 × 10-7 m = 485.3 nm; wave number 1/λ = 2.061 × 106 m-1.
  4. ν = ΔE/h = 6.182 × 1014 Hz.
  5. Falling to or from n = 2 is the Balmer series; it is emission.

All 6 lines from n = 4

TransitionSeriesEnergy (eV)λ (nm)
2 → 1Lyman10.2121.3
3 → 1Lyman12.09102.4
3 → 2Balmer1.889655.1
4 → 1Lyman12.7597.06
4 → 2Balmer2.55485.3
4 → 3Paschen0.66111872

From level n an electron can fall in n(n - 1)/2 = 6 ways.

Energy of each level

LevelEnergy (eV)Energy (J)
n = 1-13.6-2.176 × 10^-18
n = 2-3.4-5.44 × 10^-19
n = 3-1.511-2.418 × 10^-19
n = 4-0.85-1.36 × 10^-19
n = 5-0.544-8.704 × 10^-20

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