Chapter 5, Problem 61A

What is the difference between an atom’s ground state and an excited state?

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

Difference between atoms’ ground state and an excited state.

Concept introduction:

Atoms have different energy states. The ground state and exited state, define energy level of the electrons present in atom.

Answer to Problem 61A

Sr. No.	Difference between ground state and exited state of an atom
	Ground state	Exited state
1.	Ground state is the state in which all electrons in an atom are present in lowest possible energy level.	Exited state is the state in which electrons in an atom are present in higher energy level.
2.	The electron in this state have zero energy	The electron in this state have high energy
3.	The electrons of the atom are highly stable	The electrons of the atom are highly unstable
4.	The distance between electrons and nucleus of the atom is least possible distance	The distance between electrons and nucleus of the atom is higher than ground state

Explanation of Solution

Given information:

ground state and excited state of atom

The ground state is the lowest possible energy level that the electrons of an atom can have. The energy states for electrons are unique means that they have specific values only. The electrons of an atom can only move to another energy level after emitting or absorbing a particular amount of energy which is equal to the difference between two energy states. An excited state is an energy state of an atom in which the electrons of an atom is said to be at a higher energy level as compared to ground state.

Conclusion

The ground state is the lowest possible energy level that an atom can have.  An excited state is state where the electrons of an atom have higher energy.