For my homework, there are two parts to the question. i did part a and I got
E= -6.54E-18J.
Part A) Calculate the energy (in J) of the photon associated with the transition of the electron in He from n=2 to n=1.
Part B) As the Vaule of Z increases, does the wavelength of the photon associated with the transition from n=2 to n=1 increase or decrease?
Please show me the steps or give me some helpful information so, I can learn how to do it on my own.
What equation did you use for part a?
That will tell you the answer for part b but we can help you through it if you have trouble.
Sure! Let's break down Part B for you step by step.
To understand how the wavelength of the photon associated with the transition from n=2 to n=1 changes as the value of Z increases, we need to consider the formula for calculating the wavelength of a photon. The formula is given by:
λ = c/f
Where:
λ is the wavelength of the photon,
c is the speed of light (approximately 3.00 x 10^8 m/s),
and f is the frequency of the photon.
Since we're dealing with a transition between energy levels in an atom, we can use the formula for calculating the frequency (f) of the photon:
E = hf
Where:
E is the energy of the photon (which you calculated for Part A),
h is Planck's constant (approximately 6.63 x 10^-34 J*s),
and f is the frequency of the photon.
Now, let's apply this knowledge to Part B.
As Z increases, the effective nuclear charge experienced by the electron increases. This means that the energy difference between the n=2 and n=1 energy levels in helium (He) will also increase. Since the energy of the photon is directly related to the energy difference between the energy levels, we can expect that the energy (E) will also increase as Z increases.
Based on the formula E = hf, where E represents the energy of the photon and f represents the frequency, we can see that if E increases, the frequency of the photon will also increase to maintain the relationship.
Now, if we go back to the formula λ = c/f, we see that if the frequency (f) increases, the wavelength (λ) must decrease to maintain the constant speed of light (c). Therefore, as Z increases, the wavelength of the photon associated with the transition from n=2 to n=1 will decrease.
To summarize, as the value of Z increases, the wavelength of the photon associated with the transition from n=2 to n=1 decreases.
I hope this explanation helps you understand the concept and how to approach similar questions in the future!