Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 39 - More about Matter Waves - Questions - Page 1214: 13a

Answer

It should jump to the state $n = 3$

Work Step by Step

In the ground state state, $n = 1$ When the electron is in the third excited state, then $n = 4$ To emit light, the electron must jump down to a lower state where $n \lt 4$ Note that light with a longer wavelength has less energy than light with a shorter wavelength. To emit light with the longest possible wavelength, the electron must jump down to the state that is one step lower so that the energy difference between states is a minimum. It should jump to the state $n = 3$
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