Series

[jane_ni_2d]

Will we have to know the classifications of the series such as the differences between the Balmer and Lyman series for the test?

[AustinGrove3B]

Dr. Lavelle said he does not require you to memorize information like constants and formulas. However, you should probably be familiar with the relative energies of each series, such as which series is visible light and which is uv-- so that you can kind of check your answer on a test to see if it makes sense.

[Cody Do 2F]

Hi Jane!

The test is usually based on the homework questions assigned and as questions 11 and 13 (in some part) of the sixth edition reference the series, it's definitely a possibility that the series could be on the test. It's probably better to be safe than sorry in this situation and try to learn how to differentiate between the two! The biggest difference is that the Balmer series lies in the visible region of light the Lyman series lies in the UV region of light—roughly 650nm to 400nm and 120nm to 95nm respectively (according to figure 1.10 in the sixth edition).

Hope that helps!

[ariana_apopei1K]

I would just know that Ballmer includes visible light, whereas Lymann includes UV, and that Ballmer starts at n=2 and Lymann starts at n=1. Otherwise the questions will probably include anything more specific that we need to know.

[Megan Wong 4E]

When reviewing for Test 2, my TA advised that we know the series names for n=1, n=2, n=3, and n=4 for the test (Lyman, Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett respectively).