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Introduction to SAT II Physics - FreeExamPapers

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Don’t worry: you don’t need <strong>to</strong> memorize this equation. What’s worth noting for the<br />

purposes of <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> is that there are certain constant values for r, for different<br />

integer values of n. Note also that r is proportional <strong>to</strong><br />

, so that each successive radius is<br />

farther from the nucleus than the one before.<br />

Electron Potential Energy<br />

The importance of the complicated equation above for the radius of an orbiting electron<br />

is that, when we know the radius of an electron, we can calculate its potential energy.<br />

Remember that the potential energy of an electron is<br />

. If you plug in<br />

the above values for r, you’ll find that the energy of an electron in a hydrogen a<strong>to</strong>m at its<br />

ground state (where n = 1 and Z = 1) is –13.6 eV. This is a negative number because we’re<br />

dealing with potential energy: this is the amount of energy it would take <strong>to</strong> free the<br />

electron from its orbit.<br />

When the electron jumps from its ground state <strong>to</strong> a higher energy level, it jumps by<br />

multiples of n. The potential energy of an electron in a hydrogen a<strong>to</strong>m for any value of n<br />

is:<br />

331

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