## E=hv and ΔE=hv

$E=hv$

Moderators: Chem_Mod, Chem_Admin

JennyCKim1J
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:04 am

### E=hv and ΔE=hv

Under Atomic Spectra, I wrote down "E = hv, ΔE = hv". What is the difference between the two equations? Is E equal to ΔE? When are these equations used?

ConnorThomas2E
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:04 am

### Re: E=hv and ΔE=hv

ΔE is the change in energy and can have either a positive or negative value. You usually use the equation when an electron absorbs energy to move to a different energy level.
E is the energy of a given wavelength. It typically shows you how much energy a photon has.

Julie Steklof 1A
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 3:00 am

### Re: E=hv and ΔE=hv

ΔE is the energy change that occurs when an atom absorbs or emits a photon (atomic spectra experiment) whereas E is used to calculate the energy per photon when completely removing electrons from an atom (photoelectric effect).

Wenxin Fan 1J
Posts: 53
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 3:00 am

### Re: E=hv and ΔE=hv

In chemistry the delta sign usually symbolizes change (in chemical equations it can show the application of heat). Therefore ΔE=hv is the equation for the change in energy while E=hv is just an energy calculation.
-Wenxin Fan 1H

Return to “Einstein Equation”

### Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest