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Chapter 21

Atomic physics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn how to:

●understand the discovery of the atomic nucleus in the Geiger–Marsden–Rutherford experiment.

●describe and explain gas emission and absorption spectra in terms of energy levels.

●solve problems with atomic transitions.

understand the consequences of a quantised angular momentum in the Bohr model for hydrogen.

GUIDING questions

●Why is energy in atomic systems discrete?

●What is matter made out of?