This diagram depicts the energies of a few shells (energy levels) for the atom that produced the spectrum above. Image Description Diagram of five lines of energy levels drawn horizontally. n=1 is at the bottom and n=5 is at the top. Starting from the top, the line n=5 is shown. Moving downward, there is a small gap between the line n=5 and n=4, a slightly larger gap between n=4 and n=3, an even larger gap between n=3 and n=2, and a very large gap is shown between n=2 and n=1. Which of these situations would cause the atom to emit the highest frequency photon?

Why was Rutherford’s “solar system” model of the atom inadequate to explain discrete emission spectra? (The Rutherford model had more than one shortcoming. The question asks about the problem specifically associated with discrete spectra.)

Electrons are sent one at a time through a single slit. This slit is about the width of an atom. The slit can be adjusted to make it wider or narrower. Each electron is later detected using a screen that produces a spot of light wherever it is hit by a charged particle. If the slit is made narrower in an attempt to know exactly where each electron is when it passes through the slit, how does this affect the results?

In his forum, Dr. William Phillips stated that his belief in God was not scientific, although it was rational. Why did he say it wasn’t scientific?

The vertical columns on the periodic table are called families because they share similar chemical behavior. Why do they have the same behavior?

In an important experiment used to determine the nature of atoms, a gas like hydrogen, neon or mercury is excited by sparking it with electricity. The light emitted is separated out into individual colors using a prism or diffraction grating and a few lines of colored light are seen. The next three questions deal with your understanding of the mechanism behind these discrete spectra.    Jkasd, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The tires on your car get hot as you drive. In the next four questions, use your understanding of the molecular model of matter to explain the behavior of the air inside the tires.

As the tire is heated, what happens to the pressure inside?

The air in the tires is a mix of oxygen and nitrogen, 20% oxygen molecules and 80% nitrogen molecules. Oxygen has more mass than nitrogen. At any given temperature, how does the behavior of the two types of molecules compare?

In this chart, a periodic property is graphed for the first 35 elements on the periodic table. The first element of each row (Li, Na, and K) are indicated with squares and labeled on the graph. Identify patterns in the way this property changes along the first 3 rows.    Image Description Graph starts at 0 increases to about 1/2 for Li (the first element in row 2. Continues to increase for the next two elements, levels off, then drops to 0 for the final 4 elements of the row. Na (the first element in row 3) is at 1, increases for the next two elements, levels off, and drops to 0 for the last two elements. K (the first element in row 4) is at about 1. Increase for the next 8 elements, levels off, decreases for 6 elements, drops to 0 for the final element in the row Use the information in the chart to predict which of Rb, Pd, and Xe (atomic numbers of 37, 46, and 54) have the largest and smallest values of this property, then place them in order from smallest to largest. (smallest first, biggest last.)