Atomic Model & Hydrogen Spectrum Simulation
Hydrogen emits light only at specific wavelengths, and those lines are a direct readout of its energy levels. This simulation lets you excite the atom and watch electrons drop between levels, producing the matching spectral line each time.
How to use this simulation
- Excite the electron to a chosen energy level
- Let it drop and watch the emitted photon
- Compare the emission and absorption spectra
What to look for
- Only certain wavelengths appear — the spectrum is lines, not a continuum
- Bigger energy jumps produce shorter-wavelength photons
- Absorption lines fall at exactly the same wavelengths as emission lines
The physics behind it
Electrons occupy discrete energy levels with E_n = −13.6/n² eV. A transition from level n₁ to a lower n₂ emits a photon whose energy is exactly the difference, so hf = E₁ − E₂. Transitions ending at n = 2 give the visible Balmer series; those ending at n = 1 give ultraviolet Lyman lines.