Atomic emission spectrum – a set of frequencies of electromagnetic waves given off by atoms of an element; consists of a series of fine lines of individual colors.
Electromagnetic radiation – a form of energy exhibiting wavelike behavior as it travels through space; can be described by wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed.
Electromagnetic spectrum – includes all forms of electromagnetic radiation; the types of radiation differ in their frequencies and wavelengths.
Frequency – the number of waves that pass a given point per second.
Photoelectric effect – a phenomenon in which photoelectrons are emitted from a metals surface when light of a certain frequency shines on the surface.
Photon - a particle of electromagnetic radiation with no mass that carries quantum of energy.
Planck’s constant – 6.626 x 10 ^-34 J x s. Where j is the symbol for the joules.
Quantum – the minimum amount of energy that can be gained or lost by an atom.
Wavelength – the shortest distance between equivalent points on a continuous wave; is usually expressed in meters, centimeters, or nanometers.
Atomic orbital – a three dimensional region around the nucleus of an atom that describes an electrons probable location.
De Broglie equation – predicts that all moving particles have wave characteristics and relates each particles wavelength to its frequency, its mass, and planks constant.
Energy sublevel – the energy levels contained within a principle energy level.
Ground state – the lowest allowable energy state of an atom.
Heisenberg uncertainty principle – states that it is not possible to know precisely both the velocity and the position of a particle at the same time.
Principle energy level –the major energy level of an atom.
Principle quantum number – assigned by the quantum mechanical model to indicate the relative sizes and energy of atomic orbitals.
Quantum mechanical model