Name: Skylar Meehan

Lab 4: Hydrogen Energy Levels –

Worksheet

Background Material
Carefully read the background pages entitled Energy Levels, Light, and Transitions and
answer the following questions to check your understanding.

Enter your answers to each question in the data tables, boxes and selections below. When
completed, please save and upload this file to the assignment submission link in Canvas.

Question 1: Complete the following table which compares how the Bohr Model and the
Quantum model represent the Hydrogen atom. In some cases they both describe things in
the same way and in some cases they do not.
Concept Bohr Model Quantum Model
Nucleus positively charged proton at the positively charged proton at the
center center

Electrons negatively charged electrons negatively charged cloud

orbiting the nucleus like planets
do the sun

Orbital Circular energy levels around Area around the Nucleus where
the nucleus an electron is likely to be

Location of always located at the Bohr radius Likely to be found in brighter

electron in areas around the nucleus
the first
orbital
Energy of Equal to the number of electron E = -E0/n2
the Energy orbits around the nucleus
Levels

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 1/9

Question 2: Complete the following table which relates the parameters of two different
photons by selecting the appropriate relationship. The first row is completed for you: “A
red photon has a larger wavelength, smaller frequency, smaller energy, and the same
velocity through space as a blue photon”.

Photon A
Photon A Wavelength Frequency Energy Velocity Photon B
(in space)
Red longer higher higher faster Blue
the same the same the same the same
shorter lower lower slower
Green Orange
Shorter Higher Higher The Same

InfraRed Visual
Longer Lower Lower The Same

Visual Microwave
Shorter Higher Higher The Same

X-rays Gamma-ray
Longer Lower Lower The Same

(Hint: the speed of all photons is the same.)

Question 3: Scientists often say “A is proportional to B” if B increases when A increases.

They also “A is inversely proportional to C” if C decreases when A increases. Inspect the
table above for evidence of such relationships and use these terms to describe the
relationships between wavelength, frequency, energy, and velocity.

The wavelength is inversely proportional to the frequency and energy. Energy and
frequency are directly proportional. Velocity in space is constant.

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 2/9

Hydrogen Atom Simulator – Introduction
The Hydrogen Atom Simulator allows one to view the interaction of an idealized Hydrogen
atom with photons of various wavelengths. This atom is far from the influence of
neighboring atoms and is not moving. The simulator consists of four panels. Below gives
a brief overview of the basics of the simulator.
• The panel in the upper left shows the Bohr Model: the proton, electron, and the first
six orbitals with the correct relative spacing.
o The electron can absorb photons and jump higher energy levels where it
will remain for a short time before emitting a photon(s) and drop to lower
energy level (with known probabilities fixed by quantum mechanics).
o The electron can also be ionized. The simulator will a short time later absorb
an electron.
o For convenience you can drag the electron between levels. Once it is
released it will behave “physically” once again as if it had gotten to that
present level without being dragged.
• The upper right panel labeled “energy level diagram” shows the energy levels
vertically with correct relative spacing.
• The “Photon Selection” panel (bottom left) allows one to “shoot” photons at the
Hydrogen atom. The slider allows the user to pick a photon of a particular
energy/wavelength/frequency.
o Note how energy and frequency are directly proportional and energy and
wavelength are inversely proportional.
o On the slider are some of the energies which correspond to levels in the
Lyman, Balmer, and Paschen series.
o Clicking on the label will shoot a photon of that energy.
o If the photon is in visual band, its true color is shown. Photons of longer
wavelengths are shown as red and shorter wavelengths as violet.
• The “Event Log” in the lower right lists all the photons that the atom has
encountered as well as all the electron transitions.
o The log can be cleared by either using the button or manually dragging the
electron to a particular energy level.

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 3/9

Hydrogen Atom Simulator – Exercises
For any particular level of the Hydrogen atom one can think of the photons that interact
with it as being in three groups:
Increasing Energy →
Range 1 Range 2 Range 3
None of the photons have Some of the photons have All the photons have
enough energy to affect the the right energy to make the enough energy to ionize the
atom. electrons to jump to a atom.
higher energy level (i.e.
excite them).
Note that the ranges are different for each energy level. Below is an example of the ranges
for an electron in the ground state of a Hydrogen atom.
Ground State electron of H
Range 1 Range 2 Range 3
0eV to 10.2 eV 10.2 to 13.6 >13.6 eV
(10.2 eV needed to excite (some will excite, some (anything greater than this
electron to 1st orbital) won’t) will ionize the electron)

When the simulator first loads, the electron is in the ground state and the slider is at 271
nm.
• Fire a 271 nm photon. This photon is in range 1.
• Gradually increase the slider to find a photon which is between range 1 and range
2 (for a ground state electron). This should be the Lyman-α line (which is the energy
difference between the ground state and the second orbital).
• Increase the energy a bit more from the Lyman-α line and click “fire photon”. Note
that nothing happens. This is a range 2 photon but it doesn’t have the “right energy”.
• Increase the energy more until photons of range 3 are reached. In the simulator this
will be just above the Lε line.
o Technically there are photons which would excite to the 7th, 8th, 9th, etc.
energy levels, but these are very close together and those lines not shown
on the simulator.
o The Lε line has an energy of -13.22 eV and is in range two. The ionization
energy for an electron in the ground state is 13.6 eV and so that is the correct
range 3 boundary.

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 4/9

Question 4: Which photon energies will excite the Hydrogen atom when its electron is in
the ground state? (Hint: there are 5 named on the simulator, though there are more.)
Lα, Lβ, Lγ, Lδ, Lε

Question 5: Starting from the ground state, press the Lα button twice in succession (that
is, press it a second time before the electron decays). What happens to the electron?
The electron gets launched out, i.e ionized

Question 6: Complete the energy range values for the 1st excited state (i.e. the second
orbital) of Hydrogen. Use the simulator to fill out ranges 2 and range 3. The electron can
be placed in the 1st orbital by manually dragging the electron or firing a Lα photon once
when the electron is in the ground state. Note also that the electron will deexcite with time
and so it may need to be placed in the 1st orbital repeatedly.
1st Excited State Electron in H
Range 1 Range 2 Range 3
0 to 1.9 eV 1.9 to 3.4 eV anything greater than 3.4
(anything less than this eV
energy will fail to excite the
atom)

Question 7: What is the necessary condition for Balmer Line photons (Hα, etc) to be
absorbed by the Hydrogen atom?

The electron has to be on at least the 1st energy level

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 5/9

Question 8: Complete the energy range values for the 3rd orbital (2nd excited state) of
Hydrogen. The electron can be placed in the 3rd orbital by manually dragging the electron
or firing an Lβ photon once when the electron is in the ground state. Note also that the
electron will deexcite with time and so it may need to be placed in the 2nd orbital repeatedly.
3rd Electron Orbital in H
Range 1 Range 2 Range 3
0-0.66 eV Nothing here 0.66-1.5 eV >1.5 eV
will excite the electron (anything more than this
will ionize the atom)

Question 9: Starting from the ground state, press two and only two buttons to achieve the
6th orbital in two different ways. One of the ways has been given. Illustrate your transitions
with selections from the energy level diagrams provided and label the selection with
the button pressed.

a) Method 1: b) Method 2:

6 6 1 to 2
5 5
4 4 Lα
3 3

Hδ

2 2 2 to 6

Hδ

Lα

1 1

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 6/9

 Question 10: Press three buttons to bring the electron
6
from the ground state to the 4th orbital. Select and label 5
4
the selection with the button pressed.
3

1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4
2
Lα Hα Pα

Question 11: How does the energy of a photon emitted when the electron moves from the
3rd orbital to the 2nd orbital compare to the energy of a photon absorbed when the electron
moves from the 2nd orbital to the 3rd orbital?

The energy needed to jump/fall between levels are equivalent

Question 12: Find and record the amount of energy needed for the following 3
transitions. Explain why these values occur.
• Lα: Level 1 to Level 2 10.2 eV
• Hα: Level 2 to Level 3 1.9 eV
• Pα: Level 3 to Level 4 0.66 eV

Explain?:

As the energy level increases the energy required to jump between levels
decreases

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 7/9

Thermal Distribution
Read through the Level Abundances page. Use the “Thermal Distribution Simulator”,
on the Level Abundances page, to make a plot of the number of atoms with electrons
in the 2nd orbital. There should be at least 8 points on your plot. Note also that the y-
axis is in terms of 1015 particles. Thus the point for 15,000 K, which has 3.82 × 1017
particles in the 2nd orbital, will read as 382 on the graph.
• Plot at least 8 points on the graph. More points near “interesting” features is highly
recommended.
• Fit (draw) a curve to the plotted points. It should be a smooth curve.

3500
10^35

3000
10^30
number of levl 2 atoms (1E15)

2500
10^25

2000
10^20

1500
10^15

1000
10^10

500
10^5

0
3000 6000 9000 12000 15000 18000 21000 24000 27000 30000
Temperature (K)

We can use this plot to motivate some of the concepts needed to understand stellar spectra.
The light seen from a star is typically an absorption spectrum. The light produced by the
surface of the star – the photosphere – is a continuous spectrum meaning that all
wavelengths of light are present. However, certain wavelengths of light are redirected
(absorbed and re-emitted in random directions) in the cooler low-density layers above the
surface (the chromosphere) of a star. This occurs because electrons in Hydrogen (and other
atoms) absorb light as they jump to higher orbitals and then re-emit the light as they drop
back down. Thus, we see absorption spectra from stars – rainbows with dark gaps known
as spectral lines – because a lot of the light is missing at particular wavelengths.

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 8/9

 If you made your graph on paper you can insert your graph below as a picture.

Question 13: Consider the strength of the Hβ absorption line in the spectra of stars of
various surface temperatures. This is the amount of light that is missing from the spectra
because Hydrogen electrons have absorbed the photons and jumped from level 2 to level
4. How do you think the strength of Hβ absorption varies with stellar surface temperature?

The absorption likely increases the as the stellar temperature increases.

NAAP – Hydrogen Atom 9/9