The energy levels of an hydrogen atom are shown below. The transition corresponding to emission of shortest wavelength is Image
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Question

The energy levels of an hydrogen atom are shown below. The transition corresponding to emission of shortest wavelength is Image

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

For an emitted photon, E = hc/λ So the shortest wavelength corresponds to the largest energy difference between the initial and final atomic levels. From the given energy-level diagram, transition D has the largest energy drop. Therefore transition D produces the shortest wavelength, so option B follows.