Physics › Section U · Quantum and atomic physics › Topic U.5
Bohr's theory of hydrogen
Hydrogen glows with a handful of sharp colours that obey a strikingly simple numerical pattern. In 1913 Niels Bohr explained that pattern by combining Rutherford's nuclear atom with quantisation, and in doing so predicted the size of the atom and every line in its spectrum.
In this topic
- A pattern in hydrogen's light
- Why the planetary atom fails
- Bohr's postulates
- The allowed radii
- The energy levels
- Worked example: the n = 3 state
- Transitions and spectral series
- Worked example: the red Balmer line
- Worked example: absorbing and re-emitting
- Successes and limits
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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