Which orbital transition in a hydrogen atom emits a photon with the shortest wavelength?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. n = 4 to n = 1
- Step 1: Relate photon wavelength to energy: , so shortest wavelength corresponds to the greatest energy difference .
- Step 2: Transition to the ground state yields Lyman series UV photons. The energy gap is much larger than () or Balmer/Paschen lines.
Answer
n = 4 to n = 1.
Why not the others: n=3 to 2 is visible (Balmer); n=2 to 1 has smaller than 4 to 1; n=5 to 3 is infrared (Paschen).
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