Postby Anisha Chandra 1K » Sat Oct 12, 2019 2:17 pm
Just checked out the solution and I think what they're trying to say is that each series measures the wavelength emitted by an electron going down from a higher energy level to a lower energy level. The difference between each series is what energy level the electron goes down to at time of measurement. So for the Balmer series, the spectral lines come from electrons going down to n = 2 (higher wavelength, lower frequency) and for the Lyman series, the spectral lines come from electrons going down to n = 1 (smaller wavelength, higher frequency).
Follow up question for anyone else who sees this: Does the Lyman series emit light of higher frequency because the electron goes down one more energy level and thus, loses more energy in the form of light?