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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 01/20/2017 07:12 PM, wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:62bb8f4a3a3c430bacf4a0b2a729b12e@spiderman.MercerU.local"
type="cite">
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<p>Dr. Pounds,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Is the Balmer series solved for using equation 12.21 in the
book? If so then why when I raise Plank's constant to the
third power it equals to zero in my calculator?
<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
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Okay -- so your particula calculator probably has a limit of numbers
between (+/-) 9e-99 and 9e+99. No worries -- you just have to be a
little more creative when you solve problems like this.<br>
<br>
So the book gives you equation 12.21 as a way to solve for the
frequency of the radiation, <img style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part1.B4451C30.AAFBCF05@mercer.edu" alt="$\nu$">.
Remember that <img style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part2.33C3A88B.15C726A8@mercer.edu"
alt="$E=h\nu=\frac{hc}{\lambda}$">. If we pull one power of <img
style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part3.C47C7D71.22302DA3@mercer.edu" alt="$h$"> from the
denominator on the right of the equation and regroup it with the <img
style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part1.B4451C30.AAFBCF05@mercer.edu" alt="$\nu$"> on the
left then we are solving for energy and not frequency. If that is
the case, then it is possible to use the Rydberg constant (check out
those units for the Rydberg constant in the front cover of your
text) on the left side of right side of the equation to get the
energy of the transition. You then divide this by <img
style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part3.C47C7D71.22302DA3@mercer.edu" alt="$h$"> to get <img
style="vertical-align: middle"
src="cid:part1.B4451C30.AAFBCF05@mercer.edu" alt="$\nu$">. <br>
<p><br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Andrew J. Pounds, Ph.D. (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pounds_aj@mercer.edu">pounds_aj@mercer.edu</a>)
Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science
Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207 (478) 301-5627
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://faculty.mercer.edu/pounds_aj">http://faculty.mercer.edu/pounds_aj</a>
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