Q.Using Bohr model, calculate the electric current created by the electron when the H-atom is in the ground state.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Bohr Model Quantization
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 a moving electron in a Bohr orbit constitutes a tiny current loop. The current is the charge passing a point per unit time: I=e/T, where T is the orbital period.
Step 1: Ground state radius and velocity
For n=1, the Bohr radius is r=a0=0.529×10−10 m, and the electron speed is v=αc≈2.18×106 m/s, where α is the fine-structure constant.
Step 2: Orbital period
The circumference is 2πr, so the period is …
In the Bohr model, the orbiting electron constitutes a tiny current loop. For hydrogen in the ground state (n=1), the current is I=e/T, where T is the orbital period. Using the Bohr radius r1=0.529A˚ and velocity v1=2.18×106m/s, the current comes out to about 1.05×10−3A.
Why this works: the electron as a current loop
The Bohr model treats the electron as moving in a circular orbit around the proton. A moving charge is an electric current. If you watch a single point on the orbit, one electron passes that point once every orbital period T. That’s exactly what current is: charge per unit time. So the average current is simply I=e/T, where e=1.6×10−19C.
The trick is to find T from the Bohr model’s ground state parameters. We don’t need to memorise a special formula — we can derive T from the orbital radius and speed.
Step-by-step calculation
1. Recall the Bohr radius for n=1
The radius of the n-th orbit is:
rn=n2a0,a0=mee24πϵ0ℏ2=0.529×10−10m
For the ground state, n=1, so r1=a0.
2. Find the electron’s speed in the ground state
In the Bohr model, the centripetal force is provided by the Coulomb attraction:
rmev2=4πϵ01r2e2
Cancel one r:
mev2=4πϵ01re2
So:
v=4πϵ0mere2
Plug in r=a0:
v1=4πϵ0mea0e2
This evaluates to v1≈2.18×106m/s (about 1/137 of the speed of light).
You can also get v1 directly from the fine-structure constant: v1=αc, where α≈1/137. That’s a neat shortcut if you remember it.
3. Calculate the orbital period T
The circumference of the orbit is 2πr1. Time for one revolution:
T=speeddistance=v12πr1
Substitute numbers: …
Method: Get the Orbital Current via Quantised Angular Momentum, Not Force Balance
The long answer derives the electron's ground-state speed by balancing the Coulomb force against the centripetal requirement. This method reaches the same current by going straight from Bohr's OWN quantisation postulate -- often faster once you already know the radius.
Steps
Step 1: Recall Bohr's quantisation condition directly
mevr=n2πh
This is the defining postulate of the model -- you don't need to invoke the Coulomb force at all if you already know (or are given/allowed to use) the orbit radius rn.
Step 2: Solve directly for speed using the known ground-state radius
For n=1 and r1=a0=0.529×10−10 m:
v=2πmer1h
which reproduces v1≈2.18×106 m/s without ever writing down the Coulomb force equation.
Step 3: Convert orbital motion into a frequency, then a current
An electron completing one full loop is one unit of charge passing any fixed point once per period, so the orbital frequency IS the "cycles of charge transfer" rate: …
- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-A1 markMCQQ.What is the frequency of the electron in the first orbit of hydrogen atom of orbital radius 0.5×10−10 m, if its orbital velocity in that orbit is 2.2×106 ms−1. (A) 3.49×1015 Hz (B) 3.49×1013 Hz (C) 6.98×1015 Hz (D) 6.98×1013 Hz
›Reveal solutionSolution
The frequency of an electron in a circular orbit is the number of revolutions per second, found by dividing the orbital speed by the circumference of the orbit. Using the given values, the frequency is approximately 7.0×1015Hz, which matches option (C).
The key idea here is that the electron in the first orbit of hydrogen moves in a circular path. Its frequency is simply how many times it goes around the circle per second — that is, the orbital speed divided by the circumference of the orbit. This is a direct application of the relation between speed, radius, and frequency for uniform circular motion.
- Recall the relationship between speed, radius, and frequency For an object moving in a circle of radius r with constant speed v, the time for one complete revolution (the period T) is the distance around the circle divided by the speed:
T=v2πr
The frequency f is the reciprocal of the period:
f=T1=2πrv
- Plug in the given values
We are told:
- Orbital radius r=0.5×10−10m
- Orbital velocity v=2.2×106m/s So:
f=2π×(0.5×10−10)2.2×106
- Simplify step by step First, compute the denominator:
2π×0.5×10−10=π×10−10
(since 2×0.5=1).
So:
f=π×10−102.2×106=π2.2×1016
- Evaluate numerically Using π≈3.1416:
3.14162.2≈0.7003
Thus:
f≈0.7003×1016=7.003×1015Hz
- Match with the options …
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-A1 markMCQQ.What is the frequency ' ν ' of the electron in Bohr's first orbit of radius ' r ' of the hydrogen atom? (A) v=4πε0hre2 (B) v=2πε0hr2e2 (C) v=4πε0hr2e2 (D) v=2πε0hre2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using the first-orbit speed v=2ε0he2 and ν=2πrv gives ν=4πε0hre2 — option (A).
For the electron in Bohr's first orbit, the orbital speed follows from combining the Coulomb–centripetal balance with angular-momentum quantization (mvr=2πh):
v=2ε0he2. …
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-A1 markMCQQ.What is the kinetic energy of the electron in the nth level, moving in a plane under the influence of a magnetic field ' B '? [ m -mass of electron; h - Planck's constant; e- electronic charge] (A) 4πnmheB (B) 4πmnheB (C) 2πmnheB (D) 2πnmheB
›Reveal solutionSolution
The kinetic energy of an electron in the nth Landau level under a magnetic field B is quantized; using the Bohr quantization of angular momentum in a circular orbit, the result is 4πmnheB, which corresponds to option (B).
Concept & Intuition
When an electron moves perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field, it experiences a centripetal Lorentz force and follows a circular path. In quantum mechanics, the angular momentum of such an orbit is quantized in units of ℏ=h/(2π). This is analogous to Bohr’s quantization for atomic orbits, but here the centripetal force is magnetic rather than electrostatic. The kinetic energy is purely the energy of circular motion, and we can find it by combining the force balance with the quantization condition.
Step-by-step reasoning
- Force balance for circular motion For an electron of mass m and charge e moving with speed v in a circle of radius r perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field B, the magnetic (Lorentz) force provides the centripetal force:
evB=rmv2
Cancelling one v gives:
eB=rmv⇒v=meBr
- Quantization of angular momentum Bohr’s postulate for a stationary orbit states that the angular momentum is an integer multiple of ℏ=h/(2π):
mvr=nℏ=2πnh
Substitute v from step 1 into this:
m(meBr)r=eBr2=2πnh
Hence the radius is:
r2=2πeBnh
- Kinetic energy expression Kinetic energy is K=21mv2. Using v=eBr/m from step 1:
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-E1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is correct in the case of the Bohr model of atoms? A. Predicts continuous emission spectra for all atoms B. Assumes that the angular momentum of electrons is quantised C. Predicts same emission spectrum for singly ionised neon atom and hydrogen atom D. Predicts same emission spectrum for singly ionised neon atom and singly ionised helium atom (A) C (B) B (C) A (D) D
›Reveal solutionSolution
The Bohr model is built on the quantisation of angular momentum, which leads to discrete energy levels and line spectra. The correct statement is that it assumes angular momentum is quantised — option (B).
The Bohr model of the atom was a revolutionary step in explaining why atoms emit only specific frequencies of light. The key insight is that classical physics would allow an electron to spiral into the nucleus, emitting a continuous spectrum. Bohr fixed this by imposing a quantisation condition: the electron’s angular momentum can only take certain discrete values. This single assumption leads to fixed orbits, discrete energy levels, and thus a line spectrum — not a continuous one.
Let’s examine each option carefully.
-
Option A: “Predicts continuous emission spectra for all atoms”
This is false. The Bohr model explicitly predicts discrete (line) spectra, not continuous. A continuous spectrum would come from a free electron radiating energy as it spirals in — exactly what Bohr’s quantisation prevents. So A is wrong.
-
Option B: “Assumes that the angular momentum of electrons is quantised”
This is the core postulate of the Bohr model. Bohr stated that the electron’s angular momentum L must be an integer multiple of ℏ=h/(2π):
L=nℏ,n=1,2,3,…
This quantisation is what gives rise to stable orbits and discrete energy levels. So B is correct.
- Option C: “Predicts same emission spectrum for singly ionised neon atom and hydrogen atom” Singly ionised neon (Ne⁺) has 9 electrons, while hydrogen has 1. The Bohr model works well only for one-electron systems (like H, He⁺, Li²⁺). For Ne⁺, the remaining electrons screen the nucleus and interact with each other, so the simple Bohr formula fails. Even if we considered a one-electron ion, the nuclear charge Z differs: for H, Z=1; for Ne⁺, Z=10. The energy levels scale as Z2, so the spectra are completely different. Thus C is false. …
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- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-M1 markMCQQ.According to Bohr's theory of hydrogen atom, the speed of the electron, its energy and radius of its orbit vary with the principal quantum number n, respectively as (A) n1,n2,n21 (B) n1,n21,n2 (C) n,n21,n2 (D) n21,n1,n2
›Reveal solutionSolution
In Bohr’s model, the electron’s speed varies as 1/n, its energy as 1/n2, and the orbital radius as n2. The correct matching is option (B).
The key idea is that Bohr’s model quantizes angular momentum:
mvr=n2πh
and the Coulomb force provides the centripetal force:
r2ke2=rmv2
From these two equations, we can solve for v, r, and the total energy E in terms of n. The dependencies are not arbitrary — they follow directly from combining these relations.
- Find how radius r depends on n. From the angular momentum condition: v=2πmrnh. Substitute into the force equation:
r2ke2=m⋅r1(2πmrnh)2
Simplify:
r2ke2=4π2mr3n2h2
Multiply both sides by r3:
ke2r=4π2mn2h2
So
r=4π2mke2n2h2∝n2
Thus radius ∝n2.
- Find how speed v depends on n. From angular momentum: v=2πmrnh. Since r∝n2, we get
v∝n2n=n1
So speed ∝1/n.
- Find how total energy E depends on n. Total energy = kinetic + potential:
E=21mv2−rke2
Using the force equation r2ke2=rmv2, we have mv2=rke2.
Then kinetic energy = 21mv2=2rke2.
So
E=2rke2−rke2=−2rke2 …
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-A1 markMCQQ.In a hydrogen atom, if electron is replaced by a particle which is 40 times heavier but has the same charge, then, the ratio of the radius of the first excited state of a normal hydrogen atom to the ground state of the above atom is (A) 40 : 1 (B) 1 : 160 (C) 1 : 40 (D) 160 : 1
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is that the Bohr radius scales inversely with the reduced mass of the electron-nucleus system. Replacing the electron with a particle 40 times heavier reduces the radius by a factor of 40. The first excited state of normal hydrogen (n=2) has radius 4 times the ground state. The ratio asked is (normal H, n=2) : (heavy particle, n=1) = 4 : (1/40) = 160 : 1. So the answer is (D).
The problem is about how the size of an atom changes when the orbiting particle’s mass changes. In the Bohr model, the radius of an orbit depends on the reduced mass of the two-body system (nucleus + orbiting particle). Most students forget that the electron’s mass appears in the denominator of the radius formula — so a heavier particle actually orbits closer to the nucleus. Let’s walk through it carefully.
- Recall the Bohr radius formula for a hydrogen-like atom For a nucleus of charge +Ze and an orbiting particle of mass m and charge −e, the radius of the n-th orbit is:
rn=πme2Zn2h2ε0
But this formula assumes the nucleus is infinitely heavy. In reality, the electron and nucleus both orbit their common centre of mass, so we must use the reduced mass μ:
μ=m+MmM
where m is the orbiting particle’s mass and M is the nucleus mass. For hydrogen, M≈1836me, so μ≈me. The correct radius is:
rn=πμe2Zn2h2ε0
So the radius is inversely proportional to the reduced mass.
- What changes in the problem?
- Normal hydrogen: orbiting particle is an electron of mass me, nucleus is a proton of mass mp. Reduced mass μH≈me (since mp≫me).
- Modified atom: orbiting particle has mass 40me (same charge −e), nucleus is still a proton. The new reduced mass is:
μ′=40me+mp(40me)mp
Since $m_p \approx 1836 m_e$, the denominator is dominated by $m_p$, so:μ′≈mp40memp=40me
More precisely, $\mu'$ is very close to $40 m_e$ because the proton is still much heavier than the new particle. So the reduced mass increases by a factor of about 40.3. Effect on the ground state radius
For the modified atom in its ground state (n=1):
r1′∝μ′1≈40me1 …
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-E1 markMCQQ.An electron has a mass of 9.1×10−31 kg. It revolves round the nucleus in a circular orbit of radius 0.529×10−10 m at a speed of 2.2×106 ms−1. The magnitude of its angular momentum is (A) 1.06×10−34Kgm2 s−1 (B) 1.06×10−24Kgm2 s−1 (C) 2.06×10−34Kgm2 s−1 (D) 2.06×10−24Kgm2 s−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
Angular momentum for a point mass in circular motion is L=mvr. Substituting the given values yields L≈1.06×10−34kgm2/s, which matches option (A).
The concept here is angular momentum of a particle in circular motion. For a point mass moving in a circle, the magnitude of its orbital angular momentum about the center is simply the product of its linear momentum (mv) and the radius (r), because the velocity is perpendicular to the radius vector. This is a direct application of L=mvr, not requiring integration or calculus.
- Identify the formula: For a particle of mass m moving with speed v in a circle of radius r, the angular momentum about the center is
L=mvr.
This works because the angle between the velocity and the radius is 90∘, so sin90∘=1.
- Plug in the given values:
m=9.1×10−31kg,v=2.2×106m/s,r=0.529×10−10m.
- Multiply step by step (keeping track of powers of 10): First, multiply the coefficients:
9.1×2.2=20.02,then20.02×0.529≈10.59.
(More precisely: 20.02×0.5=10.01, plus 20.02×0.029≈0.5806, sum ≈10.5906.)
- Combine the powers of ten:
10−31×106×10−10=10−31+6−10=10−35.
So the product is approximately
10.59×10−35=1.059×10−34.
- Round to three significant figures (since all inputs have two or three significant figures): L≈1.06×10−34kgm2/s. …
- KCET 2021Set B-21 markMCQQ.Energy of an electron in the second orbit of hydrogen atom is E2. The energy of electron in the third orbit of He+ will be (A) 169E2 (B) 916E2 (C) 163E2 (D) 316E2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Apply En∝Z2/n2 to both cases and take the ratio — the answer is 916E2.
Step 1 — The Bohr energy formula for a hydrogen-like species
For any one-electron (hydrogen-like) atom or ion with nuclear charge Z:
En=−13.6n2Z2 eV
The Z2 arises because a larger nuclear charge binds the electron more tightly (the Coulomb attraction scales with Z, and the orbit radius shrinks as 1/Z); the 1/n2 is the usual orbit-quantisation result. He+ has one electron and Z=2, so the formula applies to it.
Step 2 — Hydrogen, second orbit
Z=1, n=2:
E2=−13.6×2212=−413.6=−3.4 eV
Step 3 — He+, third orbit
Z=2, n=3:
E3(He+)=−13.6×3222=−13.6×94=−6.04 eV
Step 4 — Express it in terms of E2 (take the ratio)
E2(H)E3(He+)=−13.6×41−13.6×94=94×14=916
∴E3(He+)=916E2
Numerically: 916×(−3.4)=−6.04 eV. ✓ Consistent. …
- KCET 2018Set A-11 markMCQQ.The period of revolution of an electron in the ground state of hydrogen atom is T. The period of revolution of the electron in the first excited state is (A) 2T (B) 4T (C) 6T (D) 8T
›Reveal solutionSolution
Period Tn=vn2πrn with rn∝n2 and vn∝1/n gives Tn∝n3; for n=2 that is 8× the ground-state period.
Step 1 — Bohr's radius and speed.
For hydrogen,
rn=πme2n2h2ε0∝n2,vn=2ε0hne2∝n1
(The n2 growth of the orbit and the 1/n slowing of the electron both come from the quantisation condition mvr=2πnh combined with the Coulomb force providing the centripetal force.)
Step 2 — Period of revolution.
Tn=speedcircumference=vn2πrn∝1/nn2=n3
So Tn∝n3 — the electron in a higher orbit takes dramatically longer to go round, because the orbit is much bigger and it moves more slowly.
Step 3 — Apply to the given states. …
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