Final answer:
The maximum wavelength of excitation for a hydrogen atom in its third energy level is 121.6 nm, while the minimum wavelength is 93.8 nm.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a hydrogen atom is excited to the third energy level, it can emit photons as it returns to a lower energy level. The wavelengths of these emitted photons correspond to different colors of light. To determine the maximum and minimum wavelength of the excitation, we can refer to the Lyman series of photons for hydrogen.
The Lyman series consists of photons that have energies capable of exciting the electron of a hydrogen atom from the ground state (energy level 1) to increasingly higher energy levels. The wavelengths of the first five photons in this series are 121.6 nm, 102.6 nm, 97.3 nm, 95.0 nm, and 93.8 nm. These wavelengths correspond to the transition from energy level 1 to energy levels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
Therefore, the maximum wavelength of excitation would be 121.6 nm (transition from energy level 1 to 2), and the minimum wavelength would be 93.8 nm (transition from energy level 1 to 6).