Lesson 5.6.3

5.6.3 Atomic line spectra and photon absorption and emission Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 5.6.3, Atomic line spectra and photon absorption and emission: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 5: Waves and Particle Nature of Light, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What characteristic of atomic energy levels causes a gas discharge lamp to produce a line spectrum?

    • Overlapping levels
    • Continuous levels
    • Thermal ionisation
    • Discrete levels

  2. What is emitted when an electron in an atom transitions to a lower energy level?

    • Alpha particle
    • Positron
    • Single electron
    • Single photon

  3. An atom absorbs a photon only when the photon energy matches what quantity?

    • Ground state energy
    • Work function
    • Energy level difference
    • Total ionisation energy

  4. Which term describes the lowest energy level of an electron in an atom?

    • Zero level
    • Ionised state
    • Excited state
    • Ground state

  5. Which equation gives the frequency of a photon emitted in a transition with energy change delta E?

    • f = h/delta E
    • f = delta E/h
    • f = delta E/(2h)
    • f = delta E x h

  6. What is the minimum energy required to completely remove an electron from its ground state?

    • Binding energy
    • Work function
    • Excitation energy
    • Ionisation energy

  7. A transition in hydrogen goes from n = 2 to n = 1, with energy levels -3.4 eV and -13.6 eV. What is the frequency of the photon emitted? Take 1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J and h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s.

    • 1.6 x 10^15 Hz
    • 2.5 x 10^15 Hz
    • 4.1 x 10^15 Hz
    • 6.2 x 10^14 Hz

  8. A transition releases a photon with energy 10.2 eV. What is the wavelength of this photon? Use hc = 1240 eV nm.

    • 1216 nm
    • 410 nm
    • 12.2 nm
    • 122 nm

  9. An electron transition releases a photon with energy 1.9 eV. What is the approximate wavelength of this photon? Use hc = 1240 eV nm.

    • About 650 nm
    • About 2.5 micrometres
    • About 130 nm
    • About 340 nm

  10. An atom has ground state energy -13.6 eV and first excited level -3.4 eV. Which photon energy can be absorbed by an atom in the ground state?

    • 5.0 eV
    • 3.0 eV
    • 8.0 eV
    • 10.2 eV

  11. An electron at energy level -3.4 eV absorbs a 4.0 eV photon. What is its kinetic energy after escaping?

    • 7.4 eV
    • 0.0 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 0.6 eV

  12. A photon of frequency 4.6 x 10^14 Hz is absorbed in a transition. What is the energy of the transition? Take h = 6.63 x 10^-34 J s and 1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J.

    • 0.29 eV
    • 3.0 eV
    • 1.9 eV
    • 7.3 eV

  13. An atom has three energy levels. How many different transitions can an electron make that emit a photon, if it may drop from any higher level to any lower level?

    • 2
    • 6
    • 4
    • 3

  14. An atom has energy levels at -13.6 eV, -3.4 eV, and -1.5 eV. Which transition emits the highest frequency photon?

    • -3.4 eV to -13.6 eV
    • -13.6 eV to -1.5 eV
    • -1.5 eV to -3.4 eV
    • -1.5 eV to -13.6 eV

  15. What is an energy of 12.1 eV in joules? Take 1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J.

    • 7.6 x 10^-20 J
    • 1.9 x 10^-18 J
    • 1.2 x 10^-17 J
    • 1.9 x 10^-19 J

  16. What property of electrons in an atom is demonstrated by line emission spectra?

    • Continuous energy range
    • Quantised energy levels
    • Constant kinetic energy
    • Wave speed variation

  17. Why do hydrogen atoms emit specific photon energies rather than a continuous spectrum?

    • Variable electron charge
    • Fixed proton mass
    • Quantised energy levels
    • Wave superposition

  18. An electron drops from the level at -1.5 eV to the level at -13.6 eV. The atom is hydrogen-like with these levels. What is the wavelength of the emitted photon? Use hc = 1240 eV nm.

    • About 103 nm
    • About 122 nm
    • About 1.0 micrometres
    • About 656 nm

  19. What happens to photons in white light whose energy does not match an atomic transition?

    • Absorbed and reflected
    • Scattered elastically
    • Transmitted without absorption
    • Converted to heat

  20. A metal with work function 4.0 eV is illuminated by a photon emitted in the transition from -3.4 eV to -13.6 eV. What is the maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectron?

    • 4.0 eV
    • 6.2 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 14.2 eV

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