Models of the hydrogen atom – light and spectra

ChemistryAtomic Structure & Periodic TableAges 15–16

Fire photons (white light or a single chosen wavelength) at a hydrogen atom: the Experiment tab gives the measured spectrum of a real atom hidden in a sealed box, while the other six tabs show the predictions of the Billiard ball, Plum pudding, Classical solar system, Bohr, de Broglie and Quantum models. A spectrometer records the wavelengths of emitted photons, and the energy level diagram Eₙ = −13.6/n² eV shows why only Bohr and the later models produce a line spectrum that matches experiment. Adapted from the "Models of the Hydrogen Atom" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.

Lesson: Atomic structure – electron energy levels and atomic spectra