A single hydrogen atom is initially in the sixth Bohr orbit and eventually reaches the ground state. Find the minimum possible number of photons it can emit during this complete de-excitation.
Physics · Atomic Structure and X-rays · atomic structure and bohr atomic model
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Question

A single hydrogen atom is initially in the sixth Bohr orbit and eventually reaches the ground state. Find the minimum possible number of photons it can emit during this complete de-excitation.

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

The minimum number of photons occurs when the electron returns directly from the sixth orbit to the ground state in one allowed transition. A single transition produces one photon. Therefore the minimum possible number of photons is 1. Hence N = 1.