alleryStart learning →In the Bohr model, what does an electron do when it drops to a level nearer the nucleus?
AIt absorbs a photon of light
BIt splits into two charges
CIt emits a photon of light
DIt gains mass from the drop
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. It emits a photon of light
1. Each allowed orbit carries a fixed amount of energy.
2. Falling to a lower orbit leaves the electron with energy it no longer needs.
3. It sheds that surplus as a photon of exactly the matching energy.
4. Absorbing a photon does the reverse, lifting the electron to a higher level.
_Source: OpenStax Astronomy (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Earth, Moon, and Sky" and Ch 5 "Radiation and Spectra", section 5.5 Formation of Spectral Lines_
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