Why is the energy of atoms discrete?

Atoms and molecules have discrete energy levels, as a result of the quantum-mechanical nature of the motion of the electrons. An atom in the lower state 1 can become excited while absorbing a photon, at a rate BIn1 that is proportional to the intensity per unit frequency I (also called the spectral intensity).

Are energy levels of electrons in an atom discrete?

No, energy levels are not always discrete. The interactions among the atoms in a single-crystal solid, for example, allow for continuous ranges. Discrete energy levels of a quantum system is of course an idealization. If however the electron is not bound, its energy is positive and can take continuous values.

Who proposed that energy levels of electrons are discrete?

Niels Bohr
History. The first evidence of quantization in atoms was the observation of spectral lines in light from the sun in the early 1800s by Joseph von Fraunhofer and William Hyde Wollaston. The notion of energy levels was proposed in 1913 by Danish physicist Niels Bohr in the Bohr theory of the atom.

Is excitation energy of an electron in an atom quantized?

The energies of electrons (energy levels) in an atom are quantized, described by quantum numbers: integer numbers having only specific allowed value and used to characterize the arrangement of electrons in an atom. An electron’s energy increases with increasing distance from the nucleus.

What does it mean for energy levels to be discrete?

To say that hydrogen has discrete energy levels means that they possess only certain allowed energy states. This is seen in the fact that when hydrogen emits excess energy the photons that are released always have exactly the same wavelength and thus correspondingly the same amount of energy.

What does discrete mean and how are discrete spectra related to the quantization of energy and electron orbits in atoms and molecules?

What does discrete mean, and how are discrete spectra related to the quantization of energy and electron orbits in atoms and molecules? Atomic and molecular spectra are said to be “discrete,” because only certain spectral lines are observed. As protons and electrons recombine, light in the visible range is emitted.

Why are discrete energy levels negative?

As an electron approaches a nucleus from infinity, it becomes ‘bound’ – it is attached to the nucleus, if you like. A nucleus has a discrete number of energy levels, and so electrons bound to a certain nucleus can only take on certain potential energies. These energies are negative by convention.

How do we prove the existence of discrete energy levels of atom?

Franck-Hertz experiment, in physics, first experimental verification of the existence of discrete energy states in atoms, performed (1914) by the German-born physicists James Franck and Gustav Hertz. Franck and Hertz directed low-energy electrons through a gas enclosed in an electron tube.

Why is the energy of an electron quantized?

Quantities that have certain specific values are called quantized. Bohr suggested that the energy of the electron in hydrogen was quantized because it was in a specific orbit.

What causes excitation electrons?

When an electron temporarily occupies an energy state greater than its ground state, it is in an excited state. An electron can become excited if it is given extra energy, such as if it absorbs a photon, or packet of light, or collides with a nearby atom or particle.

What is discrete energy levels of atom?

The discrete energy levels of an atom means the different energies by different electron paths. A hydrogen atom for instance has the energy 13.6eV for the electron path n = 1.