The energy levels of the hydrogen atom vary with the principal quantum number n as
- A. proportional to n
- B. proportional to n squared
- C. inversely proportional to n squared
- D. independent of n
Explanation
The energy is minus 13.6 divided by n squared electron volts, so the levels crowd closer together as n rises and converge on zero at ionisation. This convergence is directly visible in a spectrum, where the lines of a series bunch towards the series limit. It also explains why transitions between high levels emit low energy infrared photons.
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