Quintal definition: a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples English Dictionary | Thesaurus | Translator | Grammar | Scrabble | Blog English
Electrons in a hydrogen atom must be in one of the allowed energy levels. If an electron is in the first energy level, it must have exactly -13.6 eV of energy. If it is in the second energy level, it must have -3.4 eV of energy. An electron in a hydrogen atom cannot have -9 eV, -8 eV or any other value in between. Let's say the electron wants to jump from the first energy level, n = 1, to the second energy level n = 2. The second energy level has higher energy than the first, so to move from n = 1 to n = 2, the electron needs to gain energy.
When electrons gain or lose energy, they jump between energy levels as they are rotating around the nucleus. For example, as electrons gain energy, they might move from the second to the third level. Then, as they lose energy, they might move back to the second level or even to the first energy level. Only a certain number of electrons can be in an energy level at the same time. The photon shown in the graphic can be considered a small bundle of energy. (For more information on atoms, you may want to review the materials on magnetism.) Review: Electrons spin and rotate around the outside of the nucleus.