Recent content by smokie

That would mean that more energy is released from n = 2 to n = 1, than is from n = 3 to n = 2, would it not?

Ahh, I see what you mean. E2 - E1 = energy released as light, while E1 - E2 = change in energy of the electron.

Exactly, soo, but then isn't my subtraction correct? The only thing I'm seeing wrong with my subtraction is that for 'energy' I should have a negative answer...

When moving from state n = 3 to n = 2, the electron's energy decreases... it loses some of the energy to the escaping photon...that's what I'm understanding..

Yes, what I mean is that the electrons are more tightly bound to the nucleus. So, how should I do my subtraction? I should do -1/4 - -1/9 ? <-- Negative number would be required for energy released... ?

Well I can see what I did wrong but doesn't an electron moving to a state 'closer' to the nucleus give off energy?

So getting an exact frequency is only posible if the gas is at a temperature of absolute zero. Other than that, it wouldn't be realistic because the Doppler effect of the atoms moving relative to us would cause 'broadening' of the lines... right?

ok got that...so then obviously an electron moving from energy state -1/9 to -1/4, it would give off more energy than one moving from -1/4 to -1, correct?

I didn't understand the discussion on that site very well. The course I'm in is a physics course and they threw in some chemistry, however, we don't have a textbook, so my resource is mainly the internet... States with different 'n' values have different energies, but do the energies from n =...

that link confused me even more... my understanding is they can all be at the same frequency, that is assuming that they all begin and drop to the same energy level, since the frequency and energy are related by E2 - E1 = h x frequency. If they are dropping from the same energy state, it...

Can the electromagnetic radiation produced by a hot gas of hydrogen atoms be exactly of one frequency? Assume that all of the atoms undergo a transition from the state n=2 to n=1. Note that the atoms in the gas are moving.

Chemistry is not my strong subject... A hydrogen atom undergoes a transition from the state n=3 to n=2 and then another transition from n=2 to n=1. Two photons are created due to these processes. Which photon has the higher frequency? AND What is meant by 'n = #' ?

Thanks a lot tony!

Well to be honest, I never heard that it was hard to measure either. The prof was teaching us about Mercury's perihelion and how it baffled scientists for so long. Then Einstein's GR came along and solved the mystery. However, I never really understood the problem with Mercury's perihelion, so...

Why is it so hard to measure the perihelion advance of Venus?