Physical Experiment Ⅱ

Prelab Report

Lab Title: The Franck-Hertz Experiment

Your Chinese Name: 邱杨

UESTC ID: 2022360903034

Instructor: Fu Hao

Teaching Assistant: Wu Yanyi

Date Performed: November 7th, 2023

Score:
UESTC Student Number: 2022360903034 Email: 2022360903034@std.uestc.edu.cn
Date: 2023/11/7

Score
Answers to Questions (20 points)

Q1. Since the electrons of a atom have different orbits in Bohr’s theory, the
atom can have different potential energy levels determined by the position of
electrons. The accelerated electrons can provide energy to excite the atom to a
higher energy level. Thus, the first excitation potential of an atom means the
minimum amount of energy required to excite an atom from its ground state (the
lowest energy level) to its first excited state (the next higher energy level).

Q2. The basic assumptions of Bohr’s theory of the hydrogen atom include:
(1) Under the influence of the Coulomb force of attraction, the electrons do
circular motion around the proton with centripetal acceleration produced
by the Coulomb force.
(2) There are specific stable and allowed orbits for the electrons. Since in
these orbits, electrons cannot emit energy in the form of electromagnetic
radiation, the atom remains constant total energy.
(3) In the hydrogen atom, the electron can “jump” from a higher energy level
to a lower energy level and emit radiation, which cannot be visualized or
treated with classical methods. The change of the atom’s energy
determines the frequency of the emitted radiation. The formula is
Ei −Ef =hv , where Ei and E f means the energy of initial and final state
respectively, h is Planck’s constant, and v is the frequency of radiation.
Thus, in this theory, the frequency of the electron’s orbital motion cannot
determine the frequency of radiation.

James Franck and Gustav Hertz did an experiment to provide proof for his
theory.

Q3. Because their experiment provided the very first proof for the Bohr’s
theory of the atom. The results of the experiment offered one of the early
indications of the discrete energy levels of atoms and demonstrated the quantum
nature of atoms, which was essential to the early developments of quantum
theory. Therefore, the Franck-Hertz experiment was awarded the Nobel Prize as
a “discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom”.