Rydberg Equation

[Soumya Ravichandran 4H]

In class, Professor Lavelle mentioned to not use the Rydberg Equation when doing problems that had a change in energy state (ex. n=4 to n=2). When will this equation be used, and in what capacity if so?

[mahika_nayak_3L]

He said that we should use the other equations, En = - hv/n^2 and ΔE=hv, because this is simpler to understand and helps us visualize where the answer comes from. In terms of the Rydberg equation, I believe that this will always be an option because they all use the same variables, but it is more helpful to use the former equation so as to not accidentally plug in the wrong values for n.

[Brian Cook]

Let's say a question asks to find the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from an electron which changes from n = 3 to n = 1. You would plug in the two ns' and then solve for wavelength. Sometimes the question would ask for the frequency, which you would have to solve for by using wavelength and the c constant. Hope this helps.

[Hannah Yates 1K]

He basically said that it could be used but he doesn’t recommend it. I learned it in high school and it always confused me (even thought it is just plugging numbers into an equation). I didnt get it because I didnt get the basic understanding of what was happening. The way Levelle teaches this section is much better than just using the Rydberg Equation.
Plus, he wont be giving us the equation of the equation sheet so you would have to memorize it.