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In the hydrogen atom, what is the total energy of an electron that is in an orbit that has a radius of 8.784 × 10^(-10) m?

User Coolcrab
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Final answer:

The total energy of an electron in a hydrogen atom with a given orbit radius can be determined using the formula E = -13.6 eV / n². By calculating the principal quantum number n from the given radius, we can find the total energy of the electron. In this case, the total energy is -3.4 eV.

Step-by-step explanation:

The total energy of an electron in the hydrogen atom can be determined using the formula:

E = -13.6 eV / n²

where E is the energy, n is the principal quantum number, and eV represents electron volts.

Given that the radius of the electron's orbit is 8.784 × 10⁽⁻¹⁰⁾ m, we can find the value of n using the formula for the radius of the nth orbit:

r = 0.529 × n² / Z Å

where r is the radius, n is the principal quantum number, and Z is the atomic number. Assuming the atomic number for hydrogen is 1, solving for n gives us:

n = √(r * Z / 0.529)

Substituting the given values, we find that n = 2.

Finally, plugging in n into the energy formula, we find:

E = -13.6 eV / (2²) = -3.4 eV