Q.Consider two different hydrogen atoms. The electron in each atom is in an excited state. Is it possible for the electrons to have different energies but the same orbital angular momentum according to the Bohr model?
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Why does an electron not spiral into the nucleus?
Imagine you're pushing a child on a swing. If you push at random moments, the swing jerks and slows down. But if you push exactly in rhythm with the swing's natural motion, each push adds energy smoothly and the swing goes higher and higher. The swing "prefers" to move at specific frequencies — its natural modes.
An electron orbiting a nucleus is similar, but with a crucial twist from the quantum world. Classical physics says an accelerating charge (like an electron going in a circle) must continuously radiate energy. If that were true, the electron would lose energy, spiral into the nucleus, and atoms would collapse in a flash of light. But atoms are stable. So something is fundamentally different.
The radical idea: allowed orbits only
Niels Bohr proposed in 1913 that the electron cannot occupy just any orbit. It can only exist in certain stationary states — orbits where it does not radiate energy. These are like the swing's natural frequencies, but for an electron.
The key condition that picks out these special orbits is called quantization of angular momentum.
L=n2πh,n=1,2,3,…
Here L is the orbital angular momentum of the electron, h is Planck's constant, and n is a positive integer called the principal quantum number.
What this means physically
Angular momentum for a circular orbit is L=mvr, where m is the electron mass, v its speed, and r the orbit radius. So the quantization condition becomes:
mvr=n2πh
This is not a formula you derive — it is a postulate, a rule that nature follows. Bohr had no deeper explanation for why this rule works; he simply noticed it gave the right answers for hydrogen's spectrum.
The quantity 2πh appears so often that it has its own symbol: ℏ (h-bar). So the condition is often written as L=nℏ.
What it predicts
Combining this quantization with Newton's law for circular motion (centripetal force = Coulomb attraction) gives:
- Radius of the nth orbit: rn=n2a0, where a0=0.529A˚ is the Bohr radius (the smallest orbit, n=1).
- Energy of the nth orbit: En=−n213.6eV
The negative sign means the electron is bound to the nucleus. As n increases, the orbit gets larger and the energy becomes less negative (closer to zero).
The key insight for exams
Bohr quantization is not a derivation — it is a condition you apply. When you see a problem about hydrogen-like atoms (one electron), you:
- Write mvr=nℏ
- Write the force balance: rmv2=r2kZe2 (for nuclear charge Ze)
- Solve for r and v in terms of n …
Why this formula?
Why Angular Momentum is Quantised in the Bohr Model
The Bohr model's most famous result — that angular momentum comes only in integer multiples of 2πh — is not an arbitrary assumption. It follows directly from a single, elegant idea: the electron's wave must close on itself.
The core problem Bohr faced
By 1913, physicists knew two things that seemed contradictory:
- Rutherford's nuclear model showed electrons orbiting the nucleus.
- Maxwell's equations predicted that any accelerating charge (like an orbiting electron) must radiate energy, spiral inward, and collapse in about 10−11 seconds.
Atoms are stable. Something was missing.
Bohr's breakthrough was to combine the newly discovered quantum idea (Planck's constant h) with classical mechanics, but only for allowed orbits. The key constraint came from thinking of the electron not as a tiny planet, but as a standing wave.
The de Broglie wavelength argument (the cleanest derivation)
A few years after Bohr, de Broglie proposed that every moving particle has a wavelength:
λ=ph=mvh
For an electron in a circular orbit of radius r, the circumference is 2πr. For the wave to be stable — not cancelling itself out — the circumference must contain an integer number of wavelengths:
2πr=nλ,n=1,2,3,…
Substitute λ=h/(mv):
2πr=n⋅mvh
Rearrange:
mvr=n⋅2πh
That's it. The left side mvr is the angular momentum L. So:
L=nℏ,where ℏ=2πh
This is not a separate postulate — it is a consequence of requiring the electron wave to be a standing wave. If the wave doesn't close on itself, it interferes destructively and the orbit cannot exist.
Why this fixes the energy levels
Once angular momentum is quantised, the rest follows from classical physics. For a circular orbit, the centripetal force is provided by the Coulomb attraction:
rmv2=4πϵ01r2e2
Combine this with mvr=nℏ and solve for r and E:
rn=me24πϵ0ℏ2⋅n2=a0n2
En=−8ϵ02h2me4⋅n21=−n213.6 eV …
The key idea is that in the Bohr model, the energy of an electron depends only on the principal quantum number n, while the orbital angular momentum is quantised as L=nℏ.
Reasoning:
- For a hydrogen atom, the energy of the electron in the nth orbit is En=−n213.6 eV. Different n values give different energies.
- The orbital angular momentum in the Bohr model is L=nℏ, where ℏ=h/2π. This also depends only on n. …
In the Bohr model, the orbital angular momentum is quantised as L=nℏ, and the energy depends only on n as En=−13.6/n2 eV. Since both quantities are functions of the same principal quantum number n, different energies necessarily mean different n, and therefore different angular momenta. So the answer is no — they cannot have different energies but the same orbital angular momentum.
The question touches on a fundamental feature of the Bohr model: the link between energy and angular momentum. Let’s see why they are tied together.
In the Bohr model, the electron moves in circular orbits around the nucleus. The key postulate is that the orbital angular momentum L is quantised in units of ℏ=h/2π:
L=nℏ,n=1,2,3,…
Here n is the principal quantum number. The energy of the electron in the n-th orbit (for hydrogen, Z=1) is:
En=−n213.6 eV
Notice: both L and En are determined solely by n. There is no other quantum number in the Bohr model — no separate orbital quantum number l as in the full quantum theory. So if two electrons have different energies, they must belong to different n values. And different n values give different angular momenta L=nℏ.
Let’s check the logic step by step.
-
Angular momentum depends only on n.
From L=nℏ, if two electrons have the same L, then n1ℏ=n2ℏ, so n1=n2.
-
Energy depends only on n.
From En=−13.6/n2 eV, if n1=n2, then E1=E2.
-
Contrapositive.
If the energies are different, then n1=n2, which forces L1=L2.
Therefore, it is impossible for two hydrogen atoms (in the Bohr model) to have electrons with different energies but the same orbital angular momentum. …
Method: Reasoning About Two Quantities That Are Both Functions of One Parameter
Several Bohr-model questions ask whether two different physical quantities (like energy and angular momentum) can be independently varied. This method gives a general logical shortcut for such questions.
Steps
Step 1: Identify the single underlying parameter that determines the state
In the simple Bohr model, a state is completely specified by ONE integer, the principal quantum number n -- there is no second independent quantum number in this model (unlike the full quantum treatment, which also has l).
Step 2: Write both quantities as functions of that SAME parameter
En=−n213.6 eV,Ln=nℏ
Both are functions of n alone, and both are strictly monotonic (each value of n gives one, and only one, value of En and of Ln).
Step 3: Apply the logic of a one-to-one function
If a quantity Q is a strictly monotonic function of n, then Q uniquely determines n -- so any two states with the SAME Q must share the same n, and therefore share every other quantity that is also a function of n alone. Conversely, two states with DIFFERENT Q must have different n. …
Showing the 12 most recent of 25 on this concept.
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-12-FN1 markMCQQ.An electron in the ground state of hydrogen atom is revolving in anti-clockwise direction in a circular orbit. The orbital magnetic moment of the electron is given by (A) 2πh (B) 2πmeh (C) 4πmeh (D) 4πmh
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests the gyromagnetic-ratio relation between orbital magnetic moment and angular momentum for the ground-state hydrogen electron; the answer is 4πmeh.
Concept and Intuition
A charge moving in a circular orbit constitutes a tiny current loop, and any current loop has a magnetic moment μ=IA. This can always be re-expressed in terms of the particle's orbital angular momentum L via the classical gyromagnetic ratio μL=2meL, valid regardless of orbit size or speed, as long as we know L. For hydrogen's ground state, the Bohr model fixes L=2πh (i.e., n=1, L=nℏ), so combining the two relations gives the magnetic moment directly.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Orbital magnetic moment in terms of angular momentum: μL=2meL (standard result for a charge −e orbiting; magnitude used here). …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-14-FN1 markMCQQ.The energy of an electron in Bohr's hydrogen atom is −3.4 eV. The angular momentum of the electron is (A) π2h (B) 2πh (C) πh (D) 4πh
›Reveal solutionSolution
Identify the orbit number from the given energy, then use Bohr's quantization rule L=nh/2π. E=−3.4 eV corresponds to n=2, giving L=h/π.
Concept and Intuition
In the Bohr model, an electron in the n-th orbit of hydrogen has energy En=−13.6/n2 eV, and its orbital angular momentum is quantized as Ln=nℏ=2πnh — this quantization condition is the postulate that let Bohr explain the discrete hydrogen spectrum.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Given En=−3.4 eV. Set −n213.6=−3.4⇒n2=3.413.6=4⇒n=2. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-14-AN1 markMCQQ.If the ratio of the time periods of the electrons revolving in the first and nth orbits of Hydrogen atom is 1 : 64, then the angular momentum of the electron in the nth excited state of Hydrogen atom is (h – Planck's constant) (A) π3.5h (B) π5h (C) π2.5h (D) π2h
›Reveal solutionSolution
T∝n3 gives orbit n=4; the 'nth (fourth) excited state' means principal number 5, so L=5⋅2πh=π2.5h.
Concept and Intuition
In Bohr's model r∝n2 and v∝1/n, so the period T=v2πr∝n3. The period ratio pins the orbit number. The angular momentum is quantised as L=n2πh.
Step-by-Step Solution
- TnT1=n313=641⇒n3=64⇒n=4.
- The 'nth excited state' with n=4 means the fourth excited state; counting ground =1, 1st excited =2, …, 4th excited corresponds to principal quantum number 5. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-15-FN1 markMCQQ.Suppose an electron is attracted towards the origin by a force rK, where K is a constant and r is the distance of the electron from the origin. By applying Bohr model to this system, the radius of the nth orbit of the electron is found to be rn, and the kinetic energy of the electron to be Tn, then which of the following is true? (A) Tn is independent of n, rn∝n (B) Tn∝n1, rn∝n (C) Tn∝n1, rn∝n2 (D) Tn∝n21, rn∝n2
›Reveal solutionSolution
An unusual force law F=K/r makes the orbital speed the same in every Bohr orbit, so kinetic energy doesn't depend on n at all, while quantized angular momentum then forces the radius to grow linearly with n. Answer: (A).
Concept and Intuition
Bohr's model has two ingredients regardless of the force law: (i) the given force supplies the centripetal force for circular motion, and (ii) angular momentum is quantized, mvrn=nℏ. Normally (Coulomb force ∝1/r2) both v and r depend on n in specific ways; here the unusual 1/r force makes the speed itself independent of r (hence of n), which is the key simplifying feature of this problem.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Centripetal condition: rmv2=rK⇒mv2=K, i.e. v=K/m — a constant, the same for every orbit (independent of r or n).
- Kinetic energy: Tn=21mv2=2K — a constant, independent of n.
- Bohr's angular-momentum quantization: mvrn=nℏ. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-18-FN1 markMCQQ.An electron has an angular momentum of 90ℏ J−S while orbiting with a linear velocity of π×105 ms−1 then the radius of the orbit is (mass of electron =9×10−3 Kg and Planks Constant =6.6×10−34 J s) (A) 66×10−15 m (B) 33×10−15 m (C) 66×10−10 m (D) 33×10−8 m
›Reveal solutionSolution
Angular momentum of a circulating particle is L=mvr, so the orbit radius is r=L/(mv), with L given as a multiple of ℏ=h/2π. Answer: ≈3.3×10−8 m.
Concept and Intuition
For a particle moving in a circular orbit with speed v at radius r, its angular momentum about the center is simply L=mvr (mass times linear momentum times the lever arm, which here is the radius itself since velocity is tangential/perpendicular to the radius vector). Given the angular momentum in units of the reduced Planck constant (L=nℏ), we can invert this relation to solve directly for the radius.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Angular momentum: L=nℏ=n2πh, with n=90, h=6.6×10−34 Js. L=90×2π6.6×10−34=90×1.05×10−34≈9.45×10−33 Js.
- Since L=mvr, the radius is r=mvL.
- Momentum: mv=(9×10−31)×(π×105)≈2.83×10−25 kgm/s. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.The ratio of areas of 2nd and 3rd Bohr's orbits in a doubly ionized Lithium atom is (A) 16 : 81 (B) 4 : 5 (C) 4 : 9 (D) 2 : 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
Bohr orbit radius scales as n2, so orbit area scales as n4; for n=2 and n=3 this gives an area ratio of 16:81.
Concept and Intuition
In the Bohr model, rn=Zn2a0. Since Z (here, for doubly-ionised lithium, Z=3) is the same for both orbits being compared, it cancels out in any ratio of radii for the same atom/ion. The area of a circular orbit scales as the square of the radius, so it scales as n4.
Step-by-Step Solution
- rn∝n2/Z; since Z is fixed (same ion, Z=3), rn∝n2.
- Area An=πrn2∝n4.
- Ratio of areas of 2nd and 3rd orbits: A3A2=3424=8116. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-18-AN1 markMCQQ.An electron is moving in an orbit of hydrogen atom in which there can be a maximum of six transitions. Another electron is moving in an another orbit of hydrogen atom in which there can be maximum of three transitions. The ratio of the velocity of electrons in these two orbits is (A) 3/4 (B) 5/4 (C) 2/1 (D) 1/2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Maximum-transitions count fixes the principal quantum numbers as n=4 and n=3; since vn∝1/n, their speed ratio is 3/4.
Concept and Intuition
In the Bohr model, an electron in level n can make a transition to any of the (n−1) lower levels, and the total number of distinct spectral lines obtainable from levels 1 to n (or equivalently, the number of possible transitions starting from the topmost level n when all electrons are in it) is (2n)=2n(n−1). Once we know n for each orbit, we use the Bohr result that orbital speed vn=nv1∝n1 — higher orbits move slower.
Step-by-Step Solution
- First orbit: 2n(n−1)=6⇒n(n−1)=12⇒n=4 (since 4×3=12).
- Second orbit: 2n(n−1)=3⇒n(n−1)=6⇒n=3 (since 3×2=6).
- Bohr orbital speed: vn∝n1, so v4∝41 and v3∝31. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.If the angular momenta of electrons in two orbits of hydrogen atom are πh and π1.5h, then the ratio of velocities of electrons in these two orbits is (h - Planck's constant) (A) 3 : 2 (B) 3 : 4 (C) 9 : 4 (D) 1 : 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
Converting the given angular momenta to orbit numbers (n1=2,n2=3) and using vn∝1/n gives v1:v2=3:2.
Concept and Intuition
Bohr's quantization condition states the angular momentum of an electron in the n-th orbit is Ln=n2πh. Also, from the Bohr model, the orbital speed is vn=2ε0nhZe2, i.e. vn∝n1 — electrons in higher (larger) orbits move slower. So once we identify which orbit numbers correspond to the given angular momenta, the velocity ratio follows immediately by inverting the n ratio.
Step-by-Step Solution
- First orbit: L1=πh=n12πh⟹n1=2.
- Second orbit: L2=π1.5h=n22πh⟹n2=3. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-26-AN1 markMCQQ.The ratio of the time periods of the revolution of the electrons in the second and third excited states of hydrogen atom is (A) 9:16 (B) 27:64 (C) 4:9 (D) 8:27
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using Bohr's model, the orbital period scales as n3; for n=3 (second excited) and n=4 (third excited) the ratio is 27:64.
Concept and Intuition
In the Bohr model, orbit radius grows as rn∝n2 while orbital speed falls as vn∝1/n. The time period is Tn=vn2πrn, so combining these gives Tn∝n2×n=n3 — outer orbits take dramatically longer to complete one revolution.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Identify the principal quantum numbers: ground state is n=1, so first excited =n=2, second excited =n=3, third excited =n=4.
- Since Tn∝n3: T4T3=4333=6427. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-17-AN1 markMCQQ.If the angular momentum of an electron in the second orbit of hydrogen atom is J, then the angular momentum of an electron in the third excited state of hydrogen atom is (A) 2 J (B) 3 J (C) 4 J (D) 6 J
›Reveal solutionSolution
Bohr's angular momentum quantization (Ln∝n) turns the given L2=J into L4=2J for the third excited state (n=4).
Concept and Intuition
Bohr's model postulates that the angular momentum of an electron in the n-th orbit is quantized as Ln=2πnh — it simply scales linearly with the orbit number n. The key subtlety here is counting orbits correctly: the ground state is n=1, so the "first excited state" is n=2, the "second excited state" is n=3, and the "third excited state" is n=4.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Given: angular momentum in the second orbit (n=2) is J. So L2=2π2h=J, giving 2πh=2J.
- Identify the third excited state: ground state n=1 → 1st excited n=2 → 2nd excited n=3 → 3rd excited n=4. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.μ – meson of charge 'e', mass 208 me moves in a circular orbit around a heavy nucleus having charge +3e. The quantum state 'n' for which the radius of the orbit is same as that of the first Bohr orbit for hydrogen atom is [approximately] (A) n≈20 (B) n≈25 (C) n≈28 (D) n≈29
›Reveal solutionSolution
The Bohr radius scales as n2/(Z⋅m); matching the muon's orbit radius (Z=3, m=208
electron masses) to hydrogen's first Bohr radius gives n2=624, i.e. n≈25.
Concept and Intuition
The Bohr model radius for a hydrogen-like system is rn=Zme2/(4πϵ0)n2ℏ2∝Zmn2 (for fixed fundamental constants), where m is the orbiting
particle's mass. A heavier, more charge-attracted particle (the muon, with m=208me around
Z=3) needs a much larger quantum number n to reach the same radius as the electron's smallest
hydrogen orbit.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Write rn(muon)=Zn2⋅mμmea0, where a0 is hydrogen's first Bohr radius (with n=1,Z=1,m=me).
- We want rn(muon)=a0 (matches the first Bohr orbit of hydrogen). …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-20-AN1 markMCQQ.The speed of the electron is a hydrogen atom in the n=3 level is (Plank constant =6.6×10−34 Js) (A) 6.2×105 ms−1 (B) 3.7×105 ms−1 (C) 7.3×105 ms−1 (D) 1.6×105 ms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
The Bohr-model orbital speed scales as 1/n; using the standard first-orbit speed of hydrogen, the n=3 speed comes out to about 7.3×105 m/s.
Concept and Intuition
In Bohr's model, angular momentum is quantized (mvr=nh/2π) and the Coulomb force provides centripetal force. Solving these together gives an orbital speed vn=2ε0nhe2=nv1 for hydrogen, where v1≈2.18×106 ms−1 is the speed in the ground state (n=1). Higher orbits therefore have progressively lower orbital speeds.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Use vn=v1/n with v1=2.18×106 ms−1 (standard hydrogen ground-state speed, consistent with e2/2ε0h using the given Planck constant).
- For n=3: v3=2.18×106/3=7.27×105 ms−1. …
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