MHT CET202619 April 2026Evening ShiftPhysicsAtomic PhysicsActual
If the ionisation energy for the hydrogen atom is 13.6 eV, then the energy required to excite it from the ground state to the next higher state is nearly
Options
- A-10.2 ,eV
- B-3.4 ,eV
- C10.2 ,eV
- D13.6 ,eV
Correct answer
C. 10.2 ,eV
Step-by-step solution
The energy of an electron in the n -th orbit of a hydrogen atom is given by E_n = - 13.6 n^2 eV . For the ground state ( n=1 ), the energy is E₁ = -13.6 eV . For the next higher state ( n=2 ), the energy is E₂ = - 13.6 2^2 = -3.4 eV . The energy required for excitation from the ground state to the first excited state is E = E₂ - E₁ . Substituting the values, E = -3.4 - (-13.6) = 10.2 eV .