Jim Guinn’s PHYS1112 Assignment #24 Solutions

1. A certain helium atom has only one electron. What is the radius of the electron's orbit if
it is in its n=6 state?

We have that the radii for hydrogen-like atoms (i.e., one-electron atoms) is given by

rn = (n2 / Z) r1 , where

r1 = Bohr radius = 5.29x10-11m , so

for one-electron helium, Z = 2 , and we have

r6 = (62 / 2) 5.29x10-11m =

r6 = 9.52x10-10m .

2. A hydrogen atom has an electron in its n=3 state. The atom returns to its ground state by
emitting two photons. What are their wavelengths?

To emit two photons the atom must make a transition from n=3 → m=2 , and a
transition from n=2 → m=1 . The first photon would have a wavelength given by

1 / λ1 = R (1/m2 - 1/n2) = (1.097x107m-1) (1/22 - 1/32) = 1.52x106m-1 , so

λ1 = 6.56x10-7m = 656nm .

The second photon would have a wavelength given by

1 / λ2 = R (1/m2 - 1/n2) = (1.097x107m-1) (1/12 - 1/22) = 8.23x106m-1 , so

λ2 = 1.22x10-7m = 122nm .

3. A hydrogen atom is in its n=4 state. By emitting photons, how many different ways
could it return to its ground state, and what are those ways? (Think about the different
pathways it could drop down from n=4 to n=1.)

There are four ways for the atom to return to its ground state,

4→3→2→1,
 4→3→1,

4→2→1,

4→1.

4. A hydrogen-like gold atom has an electron in its n=6 state. The atom returns to its
ground state by emitting a photon. What is its wavelength?

Gold is element number 79 , so Z = 79 . The atom must make a transition from n=6 →
m=1 . The photon would have a wavelength given by

1 / λ = Z2 R (1/m2 - 1/n2) = 792 (1.097x107m-1) (1/12 - 1/62) = 6.66x1010m-1 , so

λ = 1.50x10-11m .

5. How much energy would be required to remove the ground-state electron from a
hydrogen-like uranium atom?

Uranium is element number 92 , so Z = 92 . This energy corresponds to the energy of a

photon emitted from the n=∞ → m=1transition. We can find this energy from

E = h c / λ = h c Z2 R (1/m2 - 1/n2) =

(6.626x10-34 J s) (3.00x108m/s) 922 (1.097x107m-1) (1/12 - 1/∞2) =

E = 1.85x10-14 J = 1.15x105eV .

6. Consider an electron in a Bohr hydrogen atom in the n = 5 orbital.

a.) What is the radius of the orbital?

We have that the radii for hydrogen-like atoms (i.e., one-electron atoms) is given by

rn = (n2 / Z) r1 , where

r1 = Bohr radius = 5.29x10-11m , so

for hydrogen, Z = 1 , and we have

 r5 = (52 / 1) 5.29x10-11m =

r5 = 1.32x10-9m .

b.) What is the de Broglie wavelength for the electron.

For the n = 5 state, the electron has 5 wavelengths fitting into the circumference, so

5 λ = 2πr = 2π (1.32x10-9m) = 8.31x10-9m , so

λ = (8.31x10-9) / 5 = λ = 1.66x10-9m .

c.) What is the momentum of the electron?

From the de Broglie wavelength we have

λ = h / p , so

p = h / λ = (6.626x10-34J s) / (1.66x10-9m) = p = 3.99x10-25 kg m/s .

d.) What is the velocity of the electron?

We have that p = m v , so

v = p / m = (3.99x10-25 kg m/s) / (9.11x10-31kg) = v = 4.38x105m/s .

e.) What are the relativistic β and γ factors for this electron? Do you think relativity
needs to be considered for this motion?

We have that

β = v / c = (4.38x105m/s) / (3.00x108m/s) = β = 1.46x10-3 = 0.00146 , and

1 1
γ= = = γ = 1.00 (or 1.00000106) .
2 (4.38x105 )2
�1−v2 �1−
c (3.00x108 )2

It looks like the electron is basically non-relativistic!

7. Consider an electron in a Bohr hydrogen atom in the n = 1 orbital.

a.) What is the radius of the orbital.

 For the n = 1 state of hydrogen, the radius is just the Bohr radius, so

r = r1 = 5.29x10-11m .

b.) How much energy would be required to remove the electron from the atom?

This energy corresponds to the energy of a photon emitted from the n=∞ →
m=1transition. We can find this energy from

E = h c / λ = h c Z2 R (1/m2 - 1/n2) =

(6.626x10-34 J s) (3.00x108m/s) 12 (1.097x107m-1) (1/12 - 1/∞2) =

E = 2.18x10-18 J = 13.6eV .

c.) What is the energy of a photon with a wavelength equal to the radius of the orbital?

We have that

E = h c / λ = (6.626x10-34 J s) (3.00x108m/s) / (5.29x10-11m) =

E = 3.76x10-15J = 23500eV .

d.) In order to “see” and resolve the details of something, you need to reflect light off
the object and the wavelength of the light cannot be too large, or else the details are lost. Could
you “look” at this hydrogen atom? To answer this, compare your answers to parts b) and c).

We see that the energy of the photon in part c) is much larger than the ionization energy
of hydrogen. That means that if you shone a light with that wavelength onto hydrogen, you
would knock the electrons off all over the place! You could not “look” at the atoms that way
without destroying them! That’s why it’s so hard to see things that are that small, the photons
needed to “see” them are too energetic!