This is a question concerning electron orbitals from Kaplan Review Physics Book, Practice Section Test 1 (book, not online).
The question is: An electron carrying 10 eV of energy moves from point A (n=3) to point B (n=2). What is the energy of the accompanying x-ray photon? (Pg. 493)
A) 15 eV
B) 10 eV
C) 7.5 eV
D) 5 eV
This is passage-based but the general idea is that an electron will drop from an outer energy level to an inner energy level and release the excess energy in the form of an x-ray photon.
I understand that usually energy is defined as -13.6 eV/(n^2) and electrons on the outer energy levels have a higher energy because of greater n and "less negative" energy values. But what happens when energy is defined as positive, as in this case, 10 eV? Won't the inner electrons with smaller energy levels have a greater energy because of smaller denominators?
Also, I feel like there is an error in the solutions explanation: "Since x/9 is equal to 10 eV, x must be equal to 90 eV; this means that x/4 the energy of level 2 is equal to 2.5 eV. Therefore the change in energy from level 3 to level 2 is 7.5 eV"
Did anyone else find this confusing?
The question is: An electron carrying 10 eV of energy moves from point A (n=3) to point B (n=2). What is the energy of the accompanying x-ray photon? (Pg. 493)
A) 15 eV
B) 10 eV
C) 7.5 eV
D) 5 eV
This is passage-based but the general idea is that an electron will drop from an outer energy level to an inner energy level and release the excess energy in the form of an x-ray photon.
I understand that usually energy is defined as -13.6 eV/(n^2) and electrons on the outer energy levels have a higher energy because of greater n and "less negative" energy values. But what happens when energy is defined as positive, as in this case, 10 eV? Won't the inner electrons with smaller energy levels have a greater energy because of smaller denominators?
Also, I feel like there is an error in the solutions explanation: "Since x/9 is equal to 10 eV, x must be equal to 90 eV; this means that x/4 the energy of level 2 is equal to 2.5 eV. Therefore the change in energy from level 3 to level 2 is 7.5 eV"
Did anyone else find this confusing?
