Modern Physics Lab

Energy levels of Hydrogen Atom (Balmer Series)

Objective: Determine photon energy and quantum number of electrons returning to n= 2

Materials: H2 gas tube, spectrometer

Methods & Analysis

1. Estimate the wavelength of red, blue, & violet bright lines to the nearest 10 nm.

Note: 5000 Angs. = 500 nm and 1 nm = 1 X 10-9 m

2. Calculate the energy of the emitted photon for each color in J and eV.

3. Find the difference in Energy.

4. Determine the quantum number from your reference table.

5. Which color has the highest energy? shortest wavelength?