Models for the Hydrogen Atom
In this simulation, students shine light (white or monochromatic) on a hydrogen atom, and observe the resulting emission spectrum. They investigate several different theoretical models of the atom to determine which ones successfully predict the experimentally observed emission spectrum. At the very small scale, the universe is quantized, or discontinuous. As a model of quantum physics, the hydrogen atom has great theoretical value, because it is simple enough to be described by several quantum models. The value of this simulation is that it visually represents some important quantum models for hydrogen. It also represents light as discrete photons (quantized particles of light), which can interact with the electron of the hydrogen atom. The student selects a model for hydrogen, shines light on the hydrogen atom, and observes how the model predicts the behavior of the atom as it interacts with photons of light.
