Calculating Remaining Kinetic Energy After Excited State

AI Thread Summary
In the discussion, a hydrogen atom in its ground state is excited by an electron with 10.6 eV of kinetic energy. The key point is that the ionization energy for hydrogen is 13.6 eV, meaning that to completely remove the electron from the atom, 13.6 eV is required. Since the incoming electron has only 10.6 eV, it cannot ionize the atom but can still excite it to a higher energy level. The remaining kinetic energy of the electron after the excitation is calculated to be 0.6 eV, which is derived from the difference between the initial kinetic energy and the energy required to reach the excited state. Understanding the relationship between kinetic energy and ionization energy is crucial for solving similar problems.
fball558
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Excited state??

Homework Statement



Initially a hydrogen atom is in its ground stat. An electron with kinetic energy 10.6 eV collides with the atom and excites it. What is the remaining kinetic energy of the electron?

A. 13.6
B. 23.9
C. 3.0
D. .4
E. .6

the answer is .6 eV but not sure how they got this.
im reviewing for an exam so any help would be great.

i was thinking this has something to do with the equation

E = (-13.6 eV)/(n^2)
but don't know how to use this in this case??
 
Physics news on Phys.org


well the 13.6 represents the ionisation energy for hydrogen, and n represents the orbital number =]
 


RoryP said:
well the 13.6 represents the ionisation energy for hydrogen, and n represents the orbital number =]


yeah i got that part, but where does the 10.6 eV come into play?
in the equation the only unknown you could possibly solve for is the n or E. but ground state meand n = 1 right so E would just be -13.6
 


Nooo the 13.6 is the total amount of energy you would need to excite an electron from ground state to leaving the atom completely! Hence ionization energy :)
 

Thread 'Errors and significant figures'

I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
View full post »
Thread 'Collision of a bullet on a rod-string system: query'

Thread 'Collision of a bullet on a rod-string system: query'

In this question, I have a question. I am NOT trying to solve it, but it is just a conceptual question. Consider the point on the rod, which connects the string and the rod. My question: just before and after the collision, is ANGULAR momentum CONSERVED about this point? Lets call the point which connects the string and rod as P. Why am I asking this? : it is clear from the scenario that the point of concern, which connects the string and the rod, moves in a circular path due to the string...
View full post »
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
View full post »

Similar threads

The Total Energy of the Hydrogen Atom's Electron
Replies
2
Views
1K
Bohr Model - Absorbing a Photon with Enough Energy to Ionize the Atom
Replies
4
Views
1K
Total energy of hydrogen at ground state
Replies
11
Views
3K
How to calculate gamma ray energies following beta decay?
Replies
12
Views
1K
Energy of Li2+ atom according to Bohr's model
Replies
2
Views
2K
Minimum Kinetic energy of the hydrogen atom
Replies
22
Views
3K
Case when the potential energy of the 1st excited state is zero
Replies
41
Views
3K
Kinetic Enegry and Hydrogen Atoms
Replies
9
Views
4K
Statistics physics problem -- atom is in the ground state or excited state?
Replies
7
Views
3K
The energy of the first excited state of the system
Replies
17
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top