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a question from an AP Chem student...



hello all... I have enjoyed the lively debates and have had fun
"stretching" my brain cells. I teach high school Physics and APChem. We
recently studied the introductory Quantum Mechanics chapter, and a student
question stumped me. I love it when that happens, as we get to do some
searching together. This one has us stumped and I wondered if we might
find help here. So.....

Given that an electron must absorb a photon of just the right energy to
make a given energy level jump, what happens when a photon having the
"wrong" amount of energy encounters the electron. Does it get absorbed and
rereleased when the electron fails to make the transition? Is its
absorbtion somehow prevented? The actual wording of the question was "How
does the electron "know" whether a photon has the "right" amount of energy?"

Thanks in advance. I look forward to learning something new!
kathy