Quantized energy levels
Created by Keller Porter
The nucleus of each every atom creates an electric field, and it is composed of different levels, or stationary orbits, and each one requires a different energy level for an electron to reside there. The electrons in this electric field are in a bound state, requiring energy to be removed from their current energy level. These energy levels are considered quantized. Quantization is a transition from a classical understanding of physical principles to a more modern understanding.
Background
In the 1814, Joseph von Fraunhofer and William Hyde Wollaston discovered that when viewed closely, the spectrum from sunlight contained dark lines. These lines represented wavelengths of sunlight that were not reaching us. These wavelengths were being absorbed by the sun's atmosphere.
If light is shone through a gas, the gas will absorb the specific wavelengths characteristic of the atoms in the gas. If the light were to be put through a prism of light or a diffraction grating, then there would be absorption lines, or places where the wavelength of light had been absorbed into the gas. This process creates something called an absorption spectrum. Similarly, if this same gas was heated to the right temperature, it would emit the same wavelengths that it absorbed before. Putting this emitted light through a prism or diffraction grating would create an emission spectrum. This is the opposite of an absorption spectrum because it shows the emission lines from the gas instead of the absorption lines.
This is important because it sets up the basis for the way electrons in the electron cloud change from one level to the next. Atoms have a base energy level, called the ground state. At the ground state, the energy required to free the electron is greatest.
A Computational Model
What are the mathematical equations that allow us to model this topic. For example [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings. How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript
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