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Absorption of Light definitions

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  • Absorption
    Process where energy is taken in, causing an electron or atom to move to a higher energy state, often resulting in black bands on a colored spectrum.
  • Emission
    Release of previously absorbed energy as an electron or atom returns to a lower energy state, producing colored lines on a black spectrum.
  • Bohr Model
    Atomic structure concept where electrons occupy discrete shells, with energy changes occurring during transitions between these shells.
  • Ground State
    Lowest energy configuration of an electron or atom, from which excitation or emission transitions originate or terminate.
  • Excited State
    Condition where an electron or atom possesses more energy than its lowest possible state, often after absorbing energy.
  • Emission Spectrum
    Pattern of colored lines on a black background, unique to each element, resulting from energy released during electron transitions.
  • Absorption Spectrum
    Pattern of black bands on a colored background, indicating specific frequencies absorbed as electrons move to higher energy states.
  • Lyman Series
    Set of spectral lines in the ultraviolet region produced by electron transitions ending at the first shell.
  • Balmer Series
    Set of visible light spectral lines resulting from electron transitions ending at the second shell.
  • Paschen Series
    Group of infrared spectral lines produced by electron transitions ending at the third shell.
  • Brackett Series
    Infrared spectral lines resulting from electron transitions ending at the fourth shell.
  • Humphrey Series
    Spectral lines in the microwave region produced by electron transitions ending at the sixth shell.
  • Rydberg Constant
    Physical constant used to calculate the potential energy of an electron in a shell, central to predicting spectral line positions.
  • Potential Energy
    Energy associated with an electron's position in a shell, calculated using a formula involving the Rydberg constant and shell number.
  • Electromagnetic Spectrum
    Range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, including UV, visible, IR, and microwave regions relevant to atomic transitions.