Question

I am beginning to learn some very basic electronics. I was learning how and why lightbulbs light up. It turns out it happens because they have a very thin filament which makes the passage very narrow for electrons so they lose a lot of energy colliding with the molecules making up the filament instead of using it to drive the passage of the current. This causes three things.

O Voltage drop
O Decrease in intensity
O Transfer of the electrons' energy to the atoms making up the filament so they vibrate causing it to heat up, and the energy is also used to excite electrons to a higher energy level momentarily where they release the energy in the form of photons where the lower the wavelength, the brighter the light color and the greater the energy. So the filament also glows and lights up.
I am interested in the latter and I have a couple of questions.

1. Why don't the electrons remain in the higher energy levels?
2. Why do they choose to release the energy as photons?

Answer 1

Electrons do not remain in higher energy levels because they are unstable and quickly transition back to lower levels. Electrons choose to release energy as photons because it is the most efficient way to return to a lower energy state.

Step-by-step explanation:

The electrons do not remain in the higher energy levels because they are unstable in those energy levels. When an electron is excited to a higher energy level, it is in an energetically unstable state and will quickly transition back to a lower energy level. This transition releases energy in the form of photons.

Electrons choose to release energy as photons because it is the most efficient way for them to return to a lower energy level. Photons are packets of energy that can be easily emitted and transmitted away from the atom, reducing the excess energy of the electron. Additionally, the release of photons allows for the conservation of energy within the system.