Rydberg formula? |
Did you mean | Travel | Economics | Finance | Marketing | Business | Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology | New site added |
| Add a link on the top of this Rydberg formula page Express submission by secure payment ! |
The Rydberg formula (Rydberg-Ritz formula) is used in atomic physics for determining the full spectrum of light emission from hydrogen, later extended to be useful with any element.
A piece of the original document detailing the Rydberg formula in 1888.The spectrum is the set of wavelengths of photons emitted when electrons jump between discrete energy levels, "shells" around the atom of a certain chemical element. This discovery was later to provide motivation for the creation of quantum physics.
The formula was invented by the Swedish physicist Johannes Rydberg and presented on November 5, 1888.
Rydberg formula for hydrogen
Where
- λvac is the wavelength of the light emitted in vacuum.
- RH is the Rydberg constant for hydrogen.
- n1 and n2 are integers such that n1 AND1lt; n2.
By setting n1 to 1 and letting n2 run from 2 to infinity, the spectral lines known as the Lyman series converging to 91nm are obtained, in the same manner:
| n1 | n2 | Name | Converge toward |
| 1 |  |
Lyman series | 91nm |
| 2 |  |
Balmer series | 365nm |
| 3 |  |
Paschen series | 821nm |
| 4 |  |
Brackett series | 1459nm |
| 5 |  |
Pfund series | 2280nm |
| 6 |  |
Humphreys series | 3283nm |
The Lyman series is in the ultraviolet while the Balmer series in is the visible and the Paschen, Brackett, Pfund, and Humphreys series are in the infrared.
Rydberg formula for any hydrogen-like element
The formula above can be extended for use with any hydrogen-like chemical elements.
where
- λvac is the wavelength of the light emitted in vacuum;
- R is the Rydberg constant for this element;
- Z is the atomic number, i.e. the number of protons in the atomic nucleus of this element;
- n1 and n2 are integers such that n1 AND1lt; n2.
It's important to notice that this formula can be applied only to hydrogen-like, also called hydrogenic atoms chemical elements, i.e. atoms with only one electron on external system of orbitals. Examples would include He+, Li2+, Be3+ etc.