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Student Activity 6
The Hydrogen Atom

Science Background
Every element in the periodic table has a unique fingerprint called a line spectrum. This spectrum is
made up of the colours of light that are either emitted or absorbed by the element. Figure 1 shows the
visible emission spectrum for hydrogen.

Figure 1 The visible spectrum for hydrogen (Balmer series)

Useful Information
k q1 q2 mv 2 1 2 k q1 q2 v
F e= F c= E k = m v E elec =  E = hf   λ=   h = 6.63  10–34 J·s
r2 r 2 r f

Part 1: The Classical Problem

By treating the electron as an orbiting particle, we can use the equations of classical physics to describe its
motion and energy.
1. Draw a Bohr–Rutherford diagram of a hydrogen atom.
What variables might influence the size of the atom?

2. Determine the force that causes the electron to orbit.

Write an expression for the speed of the orbiting electron.

3. Write an expression for the total energy of the electron–proton bound system.

4. Accelerating charges emit energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. Why is this a problem for
the classical description of an electron orbiting the nucleus?

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Part 2: The Semi-classical Solution

Niels Bohr proposed a set of simple rules to fix the problem for the hydrogen atom. He didn’t know why
they worked, just that they gave the right answers. He basically said that bound electrons exist in stable,
non-radiating orbits. The light emitted or absorbed by atoms is equal to the difference in the energy of
these orbits (E  hf ), and the angular momentum (the momentum of an object in circular motion, mvr)
of the electrons is quantized in discrete amounts:

m v n r n=n ( 2hπ )
where m  mass of electron, vn  speed of electron in nth orbital, rn  radius of nth orbit, n  energy level,
and h  Planck’s constant.
1. Take your expression for the speed of an electron from Part 1 and put it into Bohr’s angular momentum
rule. Rearrange the expression to solve for orbital radius. Use dimensional analysis to confirm that this
expression is dimensionally correct.

2. Calculate the Bohr radius for the ground-state hydrogen atom (n  1). Do a quick Internet search for the
accepted answer and compare.

3. Repeat your calculation for n  2 and n  3. Now use these values for radius to determine the total energy
of the bound electron in these energy levels (see Part 1, question 3).

4. Calculate the change in energy between n  3 and n  2. Which wavelength of light is produced by hydrogen
when an electron makes this transition? Compare with Figure 1.

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Part 3: The Quantum Wave Solution

Bohr’s quantum rules work for hydrogen. They can be used to calculate the transition energy and produce
the observed spectra, but they are still missing something. They can’t explain some of the finer details in
the spectrum, and they have no theoretical basis. Louis de Broglie helped with this second problem when
he proposed that objects that have momentum could be described with a wavelength:

h
λ
p
where λ  de Broglie wavelength, h  Planck’s constant, and p  momentum.
1. Stand the wave transparency on its side. Wrap it around to form a circle with the first and last waves
overlapping to form a standing wave. Count the number of wavelengths in this circle. Reduce the size
of the circle until the waves overlap again. How many wavelengths now? Continue until you can state
the pattern.
2. Bohr recognized that if you apply the de Broglie wave equation to the orbiting electrons, you get a
simple reason for discrete energy levels. Try it for yourself. Combine the de Broglie relation with
Bohr’s quantum rule for angular momentum, and develop a simple rule that relates the size of the
orbits to the wavelength of the electron.

3. Use the orbital radii for n  2 and n  3 from Part 2 to calculate the circumferences of the orbits.

4. Use the equation from Part 1, question 2, to calculate the classical speed of the electron for n  2
and n  3.

5. Use the de Broglie equation to find the wavelength of the electron at n  2 and n  3. Compare the
wavelengths to the circumferences. Does your result agree with Bohr’s hypothesis that the allowed
energy levels have an integer number of standing waves?

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Consolidate Your Learning

Answer the following questions to check your understanding of the hydrogen atom.
1. Think about a time when you were trying to figure out the rules to a game or the instructions for a
device. What methods did you use? Which methods were the most successful? How does this relate
to what scientists do?

2. Consider the total energy of the classical electron in a hydrogen atom. Use the Bohr radius, and
simplify to develop a general expression for the nth allowed energy level. Review your answer to
Part 1, question 1 (about which factors might influence the size of the atom). Which factors did
you correctly identify? Which factors did you omit? Are you surprised by which factors matter?

3. Insert values for the fundamental constants into your general energy expression from question 2,
using standard units. Convert your expression into electron volts (1 eV  1.6  10 –19 J) to get the
general expression for the energy levels of hydrogen that you might have seen in chemistry class.

4. Figure 2 shows the energy transitions that produce the Balmer

series shown in Figure 1. Use your energy expression to
determine the wavelength of light emitted when an electron
goes from n  5 to n  2, and when an electron goes from n  4
to n  2. Compare your answers to the actual values shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 2

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