The energy of the electron in the ground state of a hydrogen atom is
Correct answer: A. minus 13.6 eV
- A. minus 13.6 eV
- B. plus 13.6 eV
- C. zero
- D. minus 3.4 eV
Explanation
The negative sign means the electron is bound, and 13.6 eV is therefore the energy needed to remove it completely, which is the ionisation energy of hydrogen. The n equals 2 level lies at minus 3.4 eV, which is minus 13.6 divided by 4, since the energy varies as one over n squared. Energy is defined as zero for a free electron at rest.
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About Atomic Spectra
Atoms emit or absorb light at specific wavelengths because electrons occupy quantized energy levels and change levels by absorbing or releasing photons. The topic covers emission and absorption spectra, spectral series, hydrogen’s line spectrum, energy-level transitions, and the relation between wavelength, frequency and photon energy.
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