Question:
What is the minimum energy that must be given to an H atom in ground state so that it can emit an Hγ line in Balmer series? If the angular momentum of the system is conserved, what would be the angular momentum of such Hγ photon?
Solution:
Energy required for the transition from n = 1 to n = 5 is given as:
E = E5 – E1 = (-13.6/52) – (-13.6/12) = 13.06 eV
Angular momentum is given as = change in angular momentum of electron = 5(h/2π) – 2(h/2 π) = 3h/2 π = 3.17 × 10-34 Js.