Biography:Johann Balmer
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| Johann Balmer | |
|---|---|
| |
| Balmer | |
| Born | 1 May 1825 Lausen, Switzerland |
| Died | 12 March 1898 Basel, Switzerland
|
| Known for | Balmer formula; hydrogen spectral lines |
Johann Balmer (1825-1898) was a Swiss mathematician known for the Balmer formula, an empirical relation describing visible spectral lines of hydrogen.
Hydrogen spectrum
Balmer found a simple numerical pattern in hydrogen's visible spectral lines. The formula was discovered before the quantum theory of the atom, but it became an important clue that atomic energy levels are discrete.
Later work by Johannes Rydberg generalized spectral formulas, and Niels Bohr explained the hydrogen spectrum using quantized orbits.
Quantum Collection links
- Physics:Quantum atoms/hydrogen
- Physics:Quantum atoms/energy level
- Physics:Quantum atoms/transition
- Physics:Quantum Spectral lines and series
References
- "Johann Jakob Balmer". https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johann-Jakob-Balmer.
- "Johann Jakob Balmer". https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Balmer/.
Author: Harold Foppele