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Ephoton Atomic Emission Spectrum Group Activity Reading: Hydrogen Emission Spectrum
In the gas phase in a spectrum tube, the electron in hydrogen absorbs the energy from the electric current and becomes excited. One convenient method of exciting atoms of an element is to pass an electric current through a sample of the element, causing the electron to move to a higher energy level. When the electron returns to a lower energy level or "ground" state, it emits energy as a photon of electromagnetic (EM) radiation that is exactly equal to the energy difference of the levels.
Explain how a photon is produced in an atom:
A gas discharge tube containing hydrogen shows an emission spectrum as shown below, with four lines in the visible light range that have very specific wavelengths. The wavelength (λ) results from the energy difference of atomic energy levels as the electron drops from a higher level to a lower level. The energy of the photon that is emitted can be calculated using the following formula: