Exam Q 20

Question 1

Define energy level

Answer 1

It is defined as the fixed energy value that an electron in an atom may have

Question 2

Distinguish between ground state and excited state for the electron in a hydrogen atom

Answer 2

Distinguish between ground state and excited state for the electron in a hydrogen atom
The ground state of an atom is one in which the electrons occupy the lowest available energy level (n=1)

The excited state of an electron is when the electron occupies higher energy levels than those available in the ground state

Question 3

Name the series of visible lines in the hydrogen emission spectrum

Answer 3

Balmer series

Question 4

Explain how the expression E2-E1=hf links the occurrence of the visible lines in the hydrogen spectrum to energy levels in a hydrogen atom

Answer 4

E2= higher energy level
E1= lower energy level
h= Planck's constant 
f= frequency of light emitted/ frequency of line in spectrum
E2-E1 = the energy difference between higher and lower energy levels

Each line produced has a unique light frequency because they all fall from different higher levels to different lower levels.
The expression indicates that the energy difference (E2-E1) is proportional to the frequency (f)