Hydrogen Balmer Series and Rydberg Constant

Name: Fern Lawson

Partner’s Name: Samantha Stomer

Elements of Physics

Lab 222, section 222009

Lab Instructor: Usama al-Binni

Experiment Performed on: April 2. 2009

Date Report is Submitted: April 15. 2009

 Purpose and Method:
The purpose of this experiment was to study the emission of light from a
hydrogen source and measure the wavelengths of the Balmer series of visible emission
lines from the hydrogen lamp in order to determine the Rydberg constant using the Bohr
model formation. The experiment consists of a hydrogen lamp that emits a series of lines
that are different colors. A telescope was used to view the array of colors and the
different angles at which the colors appear were also recorded. Each color will come into
the line of vision at a different angle depending on whether it’s in the first or second
order and right or left side of the hydrogen lamp. These angles will be measured by a
grating built into the viewing apparatus which has 300 lines or 600 lines per millimeter.
The color to be found first is pink, which is the initial line that represents zero order, then
violet, blue violet, blue green, and red are the other colors at which the angles of their
position will be measured. The wavelength of the light is determined using the grating
equation of dsinθ = mλ . This determined wavelength will then be used in the Balmer
series equation, (1/ λ ) = Rh [(1/4)-(1/ni2)], in order to find the value of the Rydberg
constant, Rh. To find the Rydberg constant, the value of (1/λ ) will be graphed versus
(1/4)-(1/ni2) and the slope from this line represents the value of Rh (Rydberg constant).
The value of Rh determined by the slope of the graphed line will then be compared to the
true value of the Rydberg constant which is 1.097 x 107. The percent error between the
two values will represent the validity and precision of this experiment.

Calculations:

3.33333E-
Grating Line Spacing d= 06 meters

ѲR(°) ѲL(°) ѲL(°)

Col Col n Readi Readi Correct ѲR(rad (1/4 -
or or 1 m ng ng ed ) ѲL(rad) λ 1/λ 1/ni2)
0.122 24377
1111 6.1491666 24628 77.77 0.2222
v 6 1 7 352.5 7.5 11 67 95.084 8 22222
0.130
8333 6.1317222 22995 23037
bv 5 1 7.5 351.5 8.5 33 22 48.385 00 0.21
0.139
5555 21566 20568
bg 4 1 8 351 9 56 6.123 75.194 75 0.1875
0.191 15236
8888 6.0968333 15730 11.11 0.1388
r 3 1 11 349.5 10.5 89 33 40.569 1 88889
v 6 2 14.5 344.5 15.5 0.252 6.0096111 23975 24377 0.2222
9444 11 46.912 77.77 22222

2
 44 8
bv 5 2
0.279
1111 5.9747222 21778 20568
bg 4 2 16 342.5 17.5 11 22 48.416 75 0.1875
15236
0.392 5.8700555 15686 11.11 0.1388
r 3 2 22.5 336.5 23.5 5 56 29.513 1 88889

3000000
y = 1E+07x
2500000

2000000

1/ 1500000 1/lambda vs (1/4-1/(lambda)^2)

1000000 Linear (1/lambda vs (1/4-

1/(lambda)^2))
500000

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
(1/4 -
1/ni2)

RH= 10970000
Slope 10000000
% 8.842297
error 174

The calculation using during this experiment were:

To find the wavelength of the individual color bands emitted from the hydrogen lamp:
dsinθ = mλ

To find the Rydberg constant: (1/ λ ) = Rh [(1/4)-(1/ni2)]

Percent difference between the measured and calculated value of Rh:

% difference: {[(theoretical value) – (measured value)]/ theoretical value} x 100%

3
Conclusions:
In the findings from this lab, we found that there was a linear relationship
between the values of (1/ λ ) and [(1/4)-(1/ni2)], and that the slope of the line that the two
values create is the Rydberg constant. The value of the measured Rh value was
10000000 and as compared to the value of 10970000 ,which is the theoretical value of
Rh, there was a percent difference of 8.84%. The small percent difference could be
blamed on the error that the excel program doesn’t show decimals on the slope of the
graph which definitely led to some of the error in the experiment. Also, when looking
through the telescope for the different colors of light, it was hard to see the blue-violet
color because it wasn’t as distinct as the other colors. For the reason the angles recorded
may have been slightly off and could have skewed the results of the graph and Rh value.
This experiment allowed us to examine the idea behind the hydrogen Balmer series and
allowed us to see how the Rydberg constant is related to the Balmer series of emission
lines from hydrogen.