Lesson 3.2.2.3

3.2.2.3 Energy levels and photon emission Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3.2.2.3, Energy levels and photon emission: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Physics (7408), Unit 2: Particles and radiation, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What do line spectra show about atoms?

    • Atoms emit a continuous range of energies
    • Atoms have discrete energy levels
    • Atoms have only one energy level
    • Atoms have energy levels that vary with temperature only

  2. In emission, the energy of a photon equals what?

    • the difference between the upper and lower energy levels
    • the sum of the two energy levels
    • the energy of the lower level only
    • the energy of the upper level only

  3. Why does an absorption line spectrum appear as dark lines?

    • Photons of all energies are absorbed equally
    • Photons with exactly the level-difference energy are absorbed
    • Electrons are removed from the atoms
    • The source emits no light at all

  4. Energy levels in atoms may be quoted in which units in questions?

    • only Hz
    • J or eV
    • only nm
    • only kg m^2 s^-2

  5. Which series of hydrogen emission lines lies in the visible region?

    • Paschen series
    • Balmer series
    • Brackett series
    • Lyman series

  6. Why does a diffraction grating separate the lines of a spectrum?

    • The grating adds energy to each photon
    • Each line has a different charge
    • Different wavelengths diffract through different angles
    • The lines have different speeds in vacuum

  7. A transition releases a photon with energy E1 - E2 = 3.0 eV. What is its frequency?

    • 7.2 × 10^14 Hz
    • 4.8 × 10^14 Hz
    • 1.3 × 10^15 Hz
    • 2.2 × 10^14 Hz

  8. A photon has energy 2.55 eV. What is its wavelength, using hc = 1240 eV nm?

    • 4.86 nm
    • 486 nm
    • 249 nm
    • 2.55 μm

  9. In hydrogen, the n = 2 level is at -3.4 eV and the n = 1 level at -13.6 eV. What is the energy of the photon emitted in the transition from n = 2 to n = 1?

    • 3.4 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 17.0 eV
    • 13.6 eV

  10. What is the energy of a 10.2 eV photon in joules?

    • 1.02 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.63 × 10^-18 J
    • 6.38 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.63 × 10^-19 J

  11. In hydrogen, the n = 3 level is at -1.5 eV and the n = 2 level at -3.4 eV. What is the energy of the photon emitted in the transition from n = 3 to n = 2?

    • 4.9 eV
    • 3.4 eV
    • 1.9 eV
    • 1.5 eV

  12. What is the wavelength of the photon from the n = 3 to n = 2 transition in hydrogen, from 1.9 eV?

    • 262 nm
    • 412 nm
    • 656 nm
    • 1240 nm

  13. The energy difference between two levels is 4.0 × 10^-19 J. What is the frequency of the emitted photon?

    • 1.7 × 10^15 Hz
    • 2.7 × 10^14 Hz
    • 6.0 × 10^-15 Hz
    • 6.0 × 10^14 Hz

  14. Hydrogen levels are E1 = -2.18 × 10^-18 J and E2 = -5.45 × 10^-19 J. What is the energy of the photon emitted in the transition from E2 to E1?

    • 1.6 × 10^-18 J
    • 2.2 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.6 × 10^-19 J
    • 2.7 × 10^-18 J

  15. Which photon energy can be absorbed by a ground-state hydrogen atom to excite it to n = 2?

    • 13.6 eV
    • 3.4 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 5.0 eV

  16. How many different photon energies can be emitted by an electron falling from n = 3 to n = 1 by any route?

    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 4

  17. Why does an emission spectrum show only certain colours?

    • The electrons only travel along certain paths
    • Atoms emit only red and blue light
    • Only photons with energies equal to the differences between levels are emitted
    • Light is absorbed by the nucleus

  18. What is the frequency of a photon of energy 1.0 eV?

    • 6.6 × 10^14 Hz
    • 2.4 × 10^14 Hz
    • 1.6 × 10^14 Hz
    • 2.4 × 10^15 Hz

  19. Which transition in hydrogen emits the photon of highest energy, given levels at -1.5, -3.4 and -13.6 eV?

    • n = 1 to n = 3
    • n = 3 to n = 2
    • n = 3 to n = 1
    • n = 2 to n = 1

  20. A 2.55 eV photon comes from which transition, given levels at -0.85 eV (n = 4) and -3.4 eV (n = 2)?

    • n = 4 to n = 2
    • n = 2 to n = 1
    • n = 3 to n = 2
    • n = 4 to n = 3

All AQA Physics quizzes