Question

this energy diagram shows the allowed energy levels of an electron in a certain atom or molecule: use this diagram to complete the table below. which is the ground state? how many excited states are there? how many lines are in the absorption line spectrum? which transition causes the emission line at the shortest wavelength? which transition causes the emission line at the longest wavelength?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify excited states

The ground state is the lowest energy level (A). The excited states are the higher - energy levels (B and C). So, the number of excited states is \(2\).

Step2: Determine absorption lines

For absorption, the electron moves from a lower energy level to a higher one. Starting from the ground state (A), it can move to B or C. So, there are \(2\) absorption lines (\(A
ightarrow B\) and \(A
ightarrow C\)).

Step3: Analyze emission wavelengths

The energy of a photon is given by \(E = h
u=\frac{hc}{\lambda}\), where \(h\) is Planck's constant, \(c\) is the speed of light, \(
u\) is the frequency, and \(\lambda\) is the wavelength. A larger energy difference (\(\Delta E\)) corresponds to a shorter wavelength. The largest energy difference for emission (electron moving from a higher to a lower energy level) is \(C
ightarrow A\). A smaller energy difference corresponds to a longer wavelength. The smallest energy difference for emission is \(B
ightarrow A\).

Answer:

Question	Answer
How many lines are in the absorption line spectrum?	\(2\)

| Which transition causes the emission line at the shortest wavelength? | \(C
ightarrow A\) |
| Which transition causes the emission line at the longest wavelength? | \(B
ightarrow A\) |