Question

One of the emission lines described by the original version of balmer's formula has wavelength what is the value of n in balmer's formula that gives this emission line?

O 11
O 12
O 13
O 14

Answer 1

The Balmer series involves transitions to the n = 2 level in the hydrogen atom. The 'n' values that could correspond to emission lines in the visible spectrum are 3, 4, 5, and 6, which represent these transitions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the Balmer series of the hydrogen emission spectrum, specifically inquiring about the value of 'n' that corresponds to one of the emission lines. The Balmer series is characterized by electronic transitions from higher energy levels to the n = 2 energy level. Each line in the Balmer series corresponds to a different starting energy level (n > 2) before the electron transitions to n = 2.

For instance, the n = 3 to n = 2 transition corresponds to the red line at 656 nm, the n = 4 to n = 2 transition corresponds to the green line at 486 nm, the n = 5 to n = 2 transition to the blue line at 434 nm, and the n = 6 to n = 2 transition corresponds to the violet line at 410 nm. Therefore, if we are looking for the value of n that corresponds to an emission line in the visible part of the spectrum, these are the possible values of n: 3, 4, 5, and 6, since they represent transitions to n = 2 in the hydrogen atom.