HW Q 11

[oliviageronimo]

A violet line is observed at 434.0 nm in the spectrum of atomic hydrogen. Determine the values of n for the beginning and ending energy levels of the electron during the emission of energy that leads to this spectral line.

Hello! Can someone help me figure out what I've been doing wrong for this problem? This is how I set up the equation: 4.34x10-7=R(1/4-1/n) Thanks :))

[Alyssa Bilinsky 2B]

Hi! For this problem I used the equation v = R(1/n1^2 - 1/n2^2). Maybe you forgot to square the n2? Also, I think that you have to use the equation c=λv to solve for v since you used the wavelength instead of the frequency. After you solve for v, I plugged it into the equation with n1 being 4 and R as 3.29*10^15 Hz. Once both of those numbers are plugged in, try to solve for n2 and you should get a whole number! Hope this helps!

[Erika Patel 3I]

When you are using the Rydberg equation, recall that it is v = R[1/n₁² - 1/n₂²]. This equation uses the frequency of the light, however what you have set up uses the wavelength. Therefore, you first need to convert 434 nm to its corresponding wavelength using the speed of light equation c=v. From there you should be able to solve, just also keep in mind that it should be 1/n² in your parentheses.