Question
Question: What does the negative electronic energy (negative sign for all values of energy) for hydrogen atom ...
What does the negative electronic energy (negative sign for all values of energy) for hydrogen atom means?
The energy of an electron in the atom is lower than the energy of a free electron at rest which is taken as zero.
When the electron is free from the influences of nucleus it has a negative value which becomes more negative.
When the electron is attracted by the nucleus the energy is absorbed which means a negative value.
Energy is released by hydrogen atom in ground state.
The energy of an electron in the atom is lower than the energy of a free electron at rest which is taken as zero.
Solution
: The negative sign means that the energy of an electron in an atom is lower than the energy of a free electron at rest. When electron is free from the influence of nucleus, the energy is taken as zero. When the electron is attracted by the nucleus, the energy is emitted and lowered.