Different Routes

Different Routes to the Ground State.

 When energy is supplied to any sample of Hydrogen gas, the electrons in different hydrogen atoms absorb different amounts of energies. The electrons in some atoms may jump to second energy level (L), some may jump to the third, fourth or the fifth energy level (M), (N) or (O) respectively. Now the excited electrons come back from the higher energy level to the ground state in one or more jumps. For example consider the electrons in the fourth energy level (n=4). Some of these electrons may directly jump to the ground state (route a), others may first jump to second level and then to first (route b) while some may first drop to third level and then finally to the first level either directly or first to second level (routes c and d).