Frank-Hertz experiment questions (light as a particle)

[skg94]

Homework Statement

1. What happens to a mercury atom that has been raised to its first exictation level by a collision with an electron?

2. If an electron with 30.0eV of energy were to his this atom, what energy would the electron have after it reflected off, and what energy level would the atom be in afterwards? [ANS: 2.66eV , n=2 energy level ]

n4= 2.278 eV
n3= 4.050 eV
n2 = 9.113eV
n1= 36.450 eV

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

1. The first exictation level is n=2, i don't really know what's its asking and there is no answer there.

2. I know how to get it, its 30 subtract the transitional energy between n=1 and n=2 , but i have a small question when an electron collides is the reflected energy always the subtracted energy between two energy levels?

 

[anathema]

I would like to address the questions and provide a detailed explanation for the forum poster and others who may have similar questions.

1. When a mercury atom is raised to its first excited state, it means that one of its electrons has absorbed enough energy to jump from the ground state (n=1) to the first excited state (n=2). This can happen through various processes, such as collisions with other particles or absorption of photons.

2. When an electron with 30.0 eV of energy collides with the mercury atom, it can transfer some of its energy to the atom and cause one of its electrons to jump to a higher energy level. The amount of energy transferred depends on the energy difference between the two levels involved. In this case, the electron has enough energy to cause an electron in the mercury atom to jump from n=1 to n=2, which has a transitional energy of 2.66 eV. This means that the electron will have 2.66 eV less energy after the collision.

After the collision, the mercury atom will be in its first excited state (n=2) with an energy of 2.66 eV. The energy levels for n=3 and n=4 given in the forum post are not relevant to this specific scenario.

To answer the question about the reflected energy, it is not always equal to the energy difference between two levels. It depends on the specific energy of the electron and the energy levels of the atom. In this case, the electron had enough energy to cause a jump to the n=2 level, but it may not always be the case for other energy levels.