Emission Spectrum

[Abigail Carter 4G]

I remember that in lecture we talked about how the emission/line/atomic spectrum for H shows different groups of spectral lines. What does this mean exactly and what is its context in terms of the bigger picture?

[Lelija Kazlauskas 3J]

Spectral lines are a series of lines on an atomic spectrum, which can either be due to the absorption or emission of light shone upon the atom. It is basically just like a fingerprint, except for atoms.

[Kaitlyn Ang 1J]

The different group of spectral lines refers to the different energy levels the electron can inhabit. If you noticed that as the wavelengths increase, the gap between the lines gets bigger, it's because the spectral lines in the longer wavelengths correspond with the energy levels of n1 and n2. The gap between n1 and n2 is the biggest, with the gap between n2 and n3, n3 and n4, etc getting smaller and smaller which is why you get that specific grouping of spectral lines.

[Indy Bui 1l]

These line groups represent changes in energy levels for electrons. When electrons drop an energy level (n=2 to n=1) then energy is emitted. Depending on which energy level the electron is dropping from and to, the atom emits different frequencies of lights. Experimenters measured these wavelengths and created the spectrum for Hydrogen. This proves the general idea that electrons exist in certain quantized states, within atoms.

[Simon Dionson 4I]

Emission spectrums represent the energy an electron requires for it to jump up from a lower level to a higher level and back down (when it jumps back down, it releases energy as a photon, which is the line on the spectrum). Where there isn't a line, think of those regions as radiation not having enough energy to make an electron jump up an energy level.