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Q.i) State Moseley's law. ii) At which value of the atomic number Z of the target element, does Moseley's √v – Z plot of X-rays intersect the Z-axis?

West Bengal WbchseWest Bengal HS (WBCHSE) Board 2026Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Moseley's law plot: √ν is linear in Z, √ν = a(Z - b), and the line cuts the Z-axis at Z = b (≈ 1 for Kα).
Moseley's law plot: √ν is linear in Z, √ν = a(Z - b), and the line cuts the Z-axis at Z = b (≈ 1 for Kα).

(i) Moseley's law states sqrt(nu) = a(Z - b) for characteristic X-rays - the root frequency rises linearly with atomic number. (ii) The line cuts the Z-axis at Z = b, which is about 1 for the K-alpha series.

(i) Moseley's law: For the characteristic X-ray lines emitted by an element, the square root of the frequency nu is directly proportional to the atomic number Z of the element:

sqrt(nu) = a(Z - b),

where a is a proportionality constant (depending on the spectral series, e.g. K-alpha) and b is the screening (shielding) constant that accounts for the shielding of the nucleus by inner electrons. This showed that atomic number, not atomic mass, is the fundamental property ordering the elements.

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